Wayne Brady Mourns Leslie Jordan and Details Difficult 'DWTS' Week (Exclusive)
Wayne Brady is reflecting on the legacy of the late Leslie Jordan.
Following Monday's challenging Dancing With the Stars, Brady spoke backstage with ET's Matt Cohen about the actor and comedian -- who died Monday morning at age 67.
"I was fortunate enough to interview Leslie during the pandemic [and] it was my first time getting to really meet him," Brady recalled. "I grew up on a lot of Leslie's comedies, the sitcoms, he made great TikTok videos."
Jordan was driving Monday morning when it's suspected he had a medical emergency and crashed into the side of the building in Hollywood, California, TMZ, who was first to publish the news, reported. His shocking death was met with an outpouring of tributes, condolences and memories shared by his famous friends and fans.
"Leslie made me happy. Leslie made millions of people happy, and at the end of the day, that is the biggest legacy that one can leave," Brady shared," So God bless you, Leslie, and thank you."
Brady also opened up about his performance on Monday's DWTS, which celebrated Michael Bublé Night, and featured the crooner as a guest judge.
"I love Michael Bublé, and, like I said in my package, [he's] a timeless artist. And I have to say, also, one of the kindest guys in Hollywood," Brady praised, "And that voice! So to be able to dance to his music and to have him here, what a great guy."
For the special episode, Brady and his pro partner, Witney Carson, performed a Quickstep set to Bublé's "I Get a Kick Out of You." But this latest performance was particularly challenging for the couple, due to a week of illnesses and setbacks.
"We've had quite the week man... I caught a bug, and I got sick," Brady explained. "Then her kid gets sick and has a super high fever. I was passed out for two and a half days, so I don't get to rehearse till Friday night. Then, their whole family's ill."
"So then, we finally get here, as we're rehearsing, I kicked her in her ankle, accidentally. and right before we go on, she's laying with ice on her legs," he continued. "So, it was just like, c'mon bring it! Bring it! What's next? And we still got the job done!"
While the judges were impressed by the work Brady and Carson were able to do on their quickstep in a matter of just days, the pair undeniably had a few missteps in their routine, which lead to lower scores than they've become accustomed to. They earned two 8s from Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough, and two 9s from Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.
However, Bublé was blown away by their dance, and the guest just rewarded them for their efforts with a perfect 10.
"I didn't feel like we deserved a 10. But, I feel that when you have a guy like Michael Bublé, he also is the stand in for the audience," Brady explained. "And the audience is like, 'We don't care that the whole end of the routine was messed up, we love you. Ten!'
"That's what this show is also about. It's not just a dancing competition, it really is a human competition," he added.
Ultimately, despite only have a few days of practice to learn an entirely new routine, the pair pulled off an entertaining number that earned them enough votes to secure their safety, meaning they will have a chance to wow viewers again next episode, for the show's reliably bewitching and spooky Halloween Night.
Dancing With the Stars returns next Monday at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT on Disney+.
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