The actor and Emmy-nominated TV host opened up to ET about his career.
Looking back at the one that got away. Wayne Brady has made himself a household name through his work on several beloved and celebrated TV shows, but there's still no forgetting the one project that he passed on that he regrets.
Brady recently sat down with ET's Kevin Frazier ahead of this year's Daytime Emmy Awards -- where Brady is nominated for Outstanding Game Show Host for his work on Let's Make a Deal -- and he opened up about almost getting the chance to develop a series with Jamie Foxx.
"Years ago, right after I got Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Jamie Foxx reached out to me and took me to dinner and asked me to work on a sketch show with him, or to do something," Brady recalled. "I was in a deal at the time and I said no, and to this day I'm like, 'Aw, man. I really wish.'"
"Because I feel like Jamie Foxx and I should be best friends," Brady added. "I wanna be Jamie Foxx's buddy."
While that project didn't pan out, Brady's work on Whose Line Is It Anyway? earned him a Primetime Emmy Award in 2003. Meanwhile, he's won four Daytime Emmys -- out of a total of 17 nominations -- for his work on The Wayne Brady Show, his recurring guest role on The Bold and the Beautiful and his 13 years as the host of Let's Make a Deal.
As for where he keeps all his shiny hardware, Brady explained, "I keep my Emmys in my studio on a shelf."
"I always laugh when I hear, you know, big stars [say], 'Well, I keep my Oscar as a doorstop,' or, 'I keep it in the bathroom to remind myself to be humble.' Forget that! I want you to see them," Brady said. "I busted my ass out of Orlando, Florida, worked every crappy job so that I could be on your TV every day, so give me my flowers!"
Ultimately, whether he takes home the Emmy this year or not, Brady says that getting to be a part of the TV landscape and getting recognized for those accomplishments has a greater significance than any awards.
"It's no small feat when I get my name mentioned in any way, shape, or form in this art form, and get recognized for it. I know that there's someone at home, some kid, watching me, watching Kevin Frazier, watching Nischelle Turner or Michael [Strahan] or Cedric the Entertainer or Steve [Harvey], watching someone, and then go, 'Oh, I can do that too!' And that's deep."
The 49th annual Daytime Emmy Awards -- hosted by Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner -- will be broadcast live from the Pasadena Civic Center on Friday, June 24, from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET, delayed PT, on CBS, and will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
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