Wayne Brady Kicks Off the 2022 AMAs With a Rock Star Performance

On Sunday night (Nov. 20), Wayne Brady flexed his musical prowess when he kicked off the 2022 AMAs with a rousing performance. Namedropping Adele, Lionel Richie and Jack Harlow, Brady’s flair was on full display as he punched in an impromptu freestyle with a rock-driven hook (provided by Orianthi) that was littered with f-bombs. 

According to Brady, his performance idea came from a conversation with last year’s AMAs host Cardi B. Sitting down over tea and scones, Brady was encouraged by the “Bodak Yellow” superstar to deliver a memorable song. “Dedicated to the nerdy kids,” the polymath ripped through the colorful AMA anthem with vigor and even strutted his fancy footwork in light of his Dancing With The Stars season finale performance, slated for Monday (Nov. 21) night.

Ahead of his musical display, Brady gushed over his fandom of the night’s Icon Award honoree Lionel Richie, hoping the newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer would autograph his chest. In an interview with Variety, Brady expressed his affinity for Richie: “It’s about time for Lionel [being honored]. He should have gotten the Icon Award years ago. He’s a global superstar.”

Brady voiced his excitement in hosting this year’s and touched on the idea of one day hosting the Oscars, saying, “I’m just going to go and knock this out of the park. Have some fun with it, and you know what, if by some chance someone thinks, ‘Wayne Brady is my guy,’ then I’m ready. Like James Brown said, ‘If you stay ready, then you ain’t got to get ready.’ I can host the Oscars tomorrow, and that’s a fact. They just don’t know it.”