Wayne Brady, an actor and host, recently shared his early financial problems in his now successful profession.
He told Essence, “I have been there. I understand how a certain amount of money can affect your life. And I’m not sure if the people who are presently enjoying it remember the other side. But I do,” he says, emphasizing that he knows the hardship of facing severe financial limits while yet pursuing lofty aspirations.
The 51-year-old shared his difficulty to secure steady roles in the entertainment industry. He relied on his network for resources to stay afloat and achieve success.
Brady said, “I remember the day when 56 dollars would change my life. That’s the amount that I needed to pay a parking ticket to avoid getting my car booted. That would have stopped my car. And I needed my car to get to my job to pay the ticket. I remember that day and I remember a lot of days like that.”
The actor collaborated with the banking app Chime to host “Pay Progress Forward,” a video experiment that explores the connection between financial well-being and generosity. According to Chime’s data, 83% of Americans believe they would be more generous if they were more financially secure.
Valerie, the actor’s late Caribbean grandmother, was a strong maternal figure and a generous source of support for his family. Brady credits his mother’s ability to sustain the family, while just cleaning rooms at Walt Disney World, for instilling generous values in him.
Brady described how, early in his career, he was given a life-changing opportunity as a club singer, but he had to bring his tuxedo. But he didn’t have one and couldn’t get one.
“I was dead broke at that particular point and I’ve been working but the jobs were small jobs and I got an offer that potentially could put a lot of money in my pocket. But I didn’t have any money. My car had been repossessed, I was three months behind on rent mama and we were gonna have to move out of our apartment in North Hollywood. I told my grandmother I needed to go do the job so I can put everything back on track. I need $200. And it was silent for a second and she said ‘Okay when?’ The money was sent almost immediately. I later found out that that was her last $200.”
He was able to acquire the position and attempted to compensate her for her huge sacrifice up to her death. He attributed his success to his grandmother’s unwavering support.
While acknowledging the significance of the act of compassion, he urged generous individuals not to overextend themselves financially in the name of love.
He advised, “There are so many ways to show generosity besides giving money you don’t have. You need to put your mask on first. You need to make sure that you are in a place to be generous with people. Buying a meal or buying clothing for someone is something you can help a person with instead of offering cold hard cash. I believe that generosity can come in all of those forms. So, take care of yourself to make sure that you are a bedrock. So that you can help those that need to rely on you.”