Wanda Sykes | |
|---|---|
 Sykes at the 2010GLAAD Media Awards | |
| Born | Wanda Yvette Sykes (1964-03-07)March 7, 1964 (age 61) Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. |
| Education | Hampton University (BS) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Medium |
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| Genres | |
| Subjects | |
| Website | www |
Wanda Yvette Sykes[1] (born March 7, 1964)[2] is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer onThe Chris Rock Show, for which she won aPrimetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004,Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America.[3] She is also known for her recurring roles onCBS'The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–10), andHBO'sCurb Your Enthusiasm (2001–2011). She receivedPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series nominations for her roles inABC'sBlack-ish (2015–2022), andAmazon'sThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2020). She currently stars in theNetflix original seriesThe Upshaws (2021–), theHBO Max comedy seriesThe Other Two (2019–2023), andThe Good Fight (2021).
Aside from her television appearances, Sykes has also had a career in film, appearing inMonster-in-Law (2005),My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006),Evan Almighty (2007), andLicense to Wed (2007), as well as voicing characters in animated films such asOver the Hedge,Barnyard,Brother Bear 2 (all in 2006),Rio (2011), two sequels of theIce Age franchise (2012–2016), andUglyDolls (2019).
Wanda Sykes was born inPortsmouth, Virginia.[4] Her family moved toMaryland when she was in the third grade.[5] Her mother, Marion Louise (née Peoples), worked as a banker, and her father, Harry Ellsworth Sykes, was aU.S. Army colonel employed atthe Pentagon.[6]
Sykes' family history was researched for an episode of the 2012 PBS genealogy programFinding Your Roots WithHenry Louis Gates Jr. Her ancestry was traced back to a 1683 court case involving her ancestor, Elizabeth Banks, a free white woman andindentured servant, who gave birth to a biracial child, Mary Banks, fathered by a slave, who inherited her mother's free status. According to historianIra Berlin, a specialist in the history of American slavery, the Sykes family history is "the only such case that I know of in which it is possible to trace a black family rooted in freedom from the late 17th century to the present."[7]
Sykes attendedArundel High School[8] inGambrills, Maryland, and went on to graduate fromHampton University,[8] where she earned aBachelor of Science degree in marketing[4] and became a member ofAlpha Kappa Alpha. After college, her first job was as acontracting specialist at theNational Security Agency,[8][9] where she worked for five years.[10]
Sykes began her stand-up career at a Coors Light Super Talent Showcase inWashington, D.C., where she performed for the first time in front of a live audience in 1987.[10]
She continued to perform on nights and weekends at local venues while at the NSA until 1992, when she moved to New York City. One of her early TV appearances wasRussell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam in the early 1990s, where she shared the stage withAdele Givens,J. B. Smoove,D. L. Hughley,Bernie Mac, &Bill Bellamy.[10] Working for theHal Leonard publishing house, she edited a book entitledPolyrhythms – The Musician's Guide, byPeter Magadini.[11]Her first big break came when opening forChris Rock atCaroline's Comedy Club.[10]
In 1997, she joined the writing team onThe Chris Rock Show[12] and also made many appearances on the show. The writing team was nominated for fourEmmys, and in 1999, won for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Special.
Since that time, she has appeared in the filmsPootie Tang[13] and on TV shows such asCurb Your Enthusiasm.[14] In 2003, she starred in her own short-livedFox network sitcom,Wanda at Large.[15] The same year, Sykes appeared in an hour-longComedy Central special,Tongue Untied. That network also ranked her No. 70 on its list of the 100 greatest all-time stand ups. She served as a correspondent forHBO'sInside the NFL,[16] hosted Comedy Central's popular showPremium Blend, and voiced a recurring character named Gladys on Comedy Central'spuppet showCrank Yankers.[17] She also had a short-lived show onComedy Central calledWanda Does It.[18]
Sykes wroteYeah, I Said It, a book of humorous observations on various topics, published in September 2004.[19] In 2006, she landed a recurring role as Barb, oppositeJulia Louis-Dreyfus, on the sitcomThe New Adventures of Old Christine;[20] she became a series regular during the series' third season in 2008. She also guest starred in theWill & Grace episode "Buy, Buy Baby" in 2006.[21] She provided voices for the2006 filmsOver the Hedge,[22]Barnyard, andBrother Bear 2. She had a part inMy Super Ex-Girlfriend and after playing inEvan Almighty, had a bit part inLicense to Wed. Sykes's firstHBO Comedy Special, entitledWanda Sykes:Sick & Tired, premiered on October 14, 2006; it was nominated for a2007 Emmy Award.[23] In 2008, she performed as part ofCyndi Lauper'sTrue Colors Tour forLGBT rights.[24]
In October 2008, Sykes appeared in a television ad for theThink Before You Speak Campaign, an advertising campaign byGLSEN aimed at curbinghomophobic slang in youth communities. In the 30-second spot, she uses humor to scold a teenager for saying "that's so gay" when he really means "that is so bad".[25][26] In March 2009, Sykes became the host of a late-night talk show on Saturdays onFox,The Wanda Sykes Show which was scheduled to premiere November 7, 2009.[27][28] In April 2009, she was named inOut magazine's "Annual Power 50 List", landing at number 35.
In May 2009, Sykes was the featured entertainer for the annualWhite House Correspondents' Association dinner, becoming both the first African American woman and the firstopenly LGBT person to get the role.Cedric the Entertainer had been the first African American to become the featured entertainer in 2005. At this event, Sykes made controversial headlines as she responded to conservative radio talk show hostRush Limbaugh's comments regarding PresidentBarack Obama. Limbaugh, in reference to Obama's presidential agenda, had said "I hope he fails". In response, Sykes quipped: "I hope his [Limbaugh's] kidneys fail, how 'bout that? Needs a little waterboarding, that's what he needs."[29][30] Her second comedy special,Wanda Sykes:I'ma Be Me premiered on HBO in October 2009.[28] November 2009 saw the premier ofThe Wanda Sykes Show, which starts with a monologue and continues with a panel discussion in a similar format toBill Maher's showsReal Time with Bill Maher andPolitically Incorrect.
She appeared asMiss Hannigan in a professional theatre production ofAnnie at The Media Theatre in Media, PA, a suburb southwest of Philadelphia. Her first appearance in a musical, she played the role from November 23 to December 12, 2010, and again from January 12 to 23, 2011.[28] She voices the Witch in theBubble Guppies episode "Bubble Puppy's Fin-tastic Fairlytale Adventure". In 2012, Sykes played the role of Granny in Blue Sky Studios'Ice Age: Continental Drift. In 2016, she returned to the role inIce Age: Collision Course. In May 2013, Sykes was a featured entertainer atOlivia Travel's 40th anniversary Music & Comedy Festival inPunta Cana, Dominican Republic.[31]
In 2013, Sykes appeared in eight episodes of Amazon'sAlpha House, a political comedy series written byDoonesbury creatorGarry Trudeau.[32] Sykes plays Rosalyn DuPeche, a Democratic Senator from Illinois and the next door neighbor of four Republican senators living together in a house on Capitol Hill. Sykes also appeared in Season Two, which became available in October 2014. The series was canceled after the second season. In 2018, Sykes became the head writer for the revived tenth season ofRoseanne.[33] This attracted attention due to starRoseanne Barr's history of controversial political remarks.[34] On May 29, 2018, Sykes announced on Twitter that she would no longer be working on the series after a since-deleted Twitter rant byRoseanne Barr aboutValerie Jarrett;Roseanne was subsequently canceled byABC.[35][36]
In 2021, Sykes began starring on the Netflix sitcomThe Upshaws.[37] Sykes co-hosted the94th Academy Awards withRegina Hall andAmy Schumer on March 27, 2022.[38] The telecast is most known for its infamous moment whereWill SmithslappedChris Rock. Sykes condemned the actions of Smith stating onEllen "For [The Academy] to let him stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award, I was like, 'How gross is this? This is just the wrong message.' You assault somebody, you get escorted out of the building and that's it. For them to let him continue, I thought it was gross".[39]
In January 2023, Sykes guest hostedThe Daily Show afterTrevor Noah's departure.[40]
Sykes was married to record producerDave Hall from 1991 to 1998.[10] In November 2008, she publiclycame out as alesbian while at asame-sex marriage rally inLas Vegas regardingProposition 8.[10][41] A month earlier, Sykes married her wife Alex Niedbalski, a French woman,[42] whom she met in 2006. The couple also became parents in April 2009, when Niedbalski gave birth to a pair of fraternal twins.[43]
Sykescame out to her parents in 2004 when she was 40, who both initially had difficulty accepting her homosexuality. They declined to attend her wedding, which led to a brief period of estrangement; they have since reconciled with Sykes.[44]
During a September 19, 2011, appearance onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show, Sykes announced that she had been diagnosed earlier in the year withductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Although DCIS is a non-invasive "stage zerobreast cancer", Sykes had elected to have a bilateralmastectomy to lower her chances of getting breast cancer.[45] Sykes splits time betweenMedia, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia,[46] andCherry Grove, New York.[47][48]
Sykes publicly expressed being devastated when California voters passed stateProposition 8. She said: "with the legislation that they passed, I can't sit by and just watch. I just can't do it."[49][50] She has continued to be active insame-sex marriage issues hosting events and emceeing fundraisers. She has also worked withPETA on promoting dog anti-chaining legislation in her home state.[51]
She has been an outspoken supporter ofDetroit'sRuth Ellis Center after the organization's staff sent Sykes a letter asking her to visit during her 2010 tour's stop in Detroit.[52][53][54]
Sykes often uses Twitter to express her political views, including on May 25, 2021, retweeting a photograph by Evan Vucci of Gianna Floyd, daughter of George Floyd, entering the White House.[55] On July 17, 2021, she also tweeted, "Congress MUST pass the #ForThePeopleAct", and called on her followers to join the "Good Trouble Vigil", commemorating the passing of activist and CongressmanJohn Lewis.[55]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Tomorrow Night | Wanda (Mel's Date) | credited asWanda Sykes-Hall |
| 2000 | Nutty Professor II: The Klumps | Chantal | |
| 2001 | Down to Earth | Wanda | |
| Pootie Tang | Biggie Shorty | ||
| 2003 | MTV: Reloaded | The Oracle | Short film |
| 2005 | Monster-in-Law | Ruby | |
| 2006 | The Adventures of Brer Rabbit | Sister Moon | Voice;Direct-to-video |
| Over the Hedge | Stella | Voice | |
| Hammy's Boomerang Adventure | Voice; short film | ||
| Clerks II | Angry Customer | ||
| My Super Ex-Girlfriend | Carla Dunkirk | ||
| Barnyard | Bessy | Voice | |
| Brother Bear 2 | Innoko | Voice; Direct-to-video | |
| CondomNation | Linda | ||
| 2007 | Evan Almighty | Rita Daniels | |
| License to Wed | Nurse Borman | ||
| 2011 | Rio | Chloe the Canada goose | Voice |
| The Muppets | Officer Ethel | Cameo, deleted scene | |
| 2012 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | Granny | Voice |
| 2013 | The Hot Flashes | Florine Clarkston | |
| 2016 | Ice Age: Collision Course | Granny | Voice |
| Bad Moms | Dr. Karl | ||
| 2017 | Snatched | Ruth | |
| A Bad Moms Christmas | Dr. Karl | ||
| 2018 | Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate | Prison Matron | |
| 2019 | UglyDolls | Wage | Voice |
| The Wedding Year | Janet / Grandma | ||
| Jexi | Denice | ||
| 2020 | Friendsgiving | Fairy Gay Mother | |
| 2021 | Breaking News in Yuba County | Rita | |
| The One and Only Dick Gregory | Herself | Documentary | |
| 2024 | Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie | Sue Nahmee |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–2000 | The Chris Rock Show | Various Characters | 7 episodes |
| 1999 | Best of the Chris Rock Show | TV special | |
| Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Wanda | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| 2001 | The Downer Channel | Various | 2 episodes |
| The Drew Carey Show | Christine Watson | 3 episodes | |
| 2001–2011 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Herself | 9 episodes |
| 2002–2005; 2019–2022 | Crank Yankers | Wanda / Gladys Murphy | Voice, 19 episodes |
| 2003 | Wanda at Large | Wanda Mildred Hawkins | 19 episodes |
| Chappelle's Show | Herself | Episode: "The Best of Chappelle's Show: Volume 2 Mixtape" | |
| Mad TV | Season 9 episode 903 | ||
| 2004 | Wanda Does It | 6 episodes | |
| 2006 | Will & Grace | Cricket Walker | Episode: "Buy, Buy Baby" |
| 2006 | Sick and Tired | Herself | HBO comedy special |
| 2006–2010 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Barbara "Barb" Baran | 54 episodes; (Recurring Seasons 1–2, Starring Seasons 3–5) |
| 2007–2011 | Back at the Barnyard | Bessy | Voice, 50 episodes |
| 2009 | Wanda Sykes: I'ma Be Me[28] | Herself | HBO comedy special |
| White House Correspondents' Dinner | Herself (host) | TV special | |
| 2009–2010 | The Wanda Sykes Show | Herself | 21 episodes; also creator, writer, executive producer |
| 2011 | Drop Dead Diva | Judge | Episode: "Prom" |
| 2012 | Bubble Guppies | The Witch | Voice, episode: "Bubble Puppy's Fin-tastic Fairy Tale!" |
| Futurama | Bev the vending machine | Voice, episode: "The Bots and the Bees"[56] | |
| 2013 | The Simpsons | School Therapist / Counselor | Voice, episode: "What Animated Women Want"[57] |
| Real Husbands of Hollywood | Wanda Sykes | 2 episodes | |
| 2013–2014 | Alpha House | Senator Rosalyn DuPeche | Recurring role |
| 2014, 2019 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Repeat After Me | 1 episode | |
| 2015, 2017 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Shirley B. Awesome | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2015–2020 | Black-ish | Daphne Lido | 16 episodes[58] |
| 2016 | Bob's Burgers | Sofa Queen | Voice, episode: "Sacred Couch" |
| Animals | Chance | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| What Happened... Ms. Sykes? | Herself | Epix comedy special | |
| 2017 | Lip Sync Battle | Episode: "Don Cheadle vs. Wanda Sykes" | |
| Doc McStuffins | Thea | Voice, episode: "The Emergency Plan" | |
| 2017–2021 | Vampirina | Gregoria the Gargoyle | Voice, main role |
| 2017–2019 | Broad City | Dara | Recurring role |
| 2018 | Ask the StoryBots | Doctor | Episode: "How Do People Catch a Cold?" |
| BoJack Horseman | Mary-Beth | Voice, episode: "INT. SUB" | |
| 2019 | The Bravest Knight | Mona the Mayor | Voice, episode: "Cedric & the Pixies"[59] |
| Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? | Herself | Voice, episode: "Peebles' Pet Shop of Terrible Terrors!" | |
| Live in Front of a Studio Audience | Louise Jefferson | Episode: "Norman Lear'sAll in the Family andThe Jeffersons" | |
| Wanda Sykes: Not Normal | Herself | Netflix comedy special | |
| Summer Camp Island | Ethel | Episode: "The Great Elf Invention Convention" | |
| Big Mouth | Ghost ofHarriet Tubman | Voice, episode: "Duke" | |
| The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Moms Mabley | Episode: "A Jewish Girl Walks Into the Apollo..." | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Episode: "Bring Back My Queens!" | |
| 2019–2023 | The Other Two | Shuli Kucerac | Recurring role |
| 2019–2020 | Harley Quinn | Tsaritsa / Queen of Fables | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Mapleworth Murders[60] | Leigh Drain | Episode: "Killer Voices – Part 2" |
| 2020–2021 | Tig n' Seek | Nuritza | Voice, 15 episodes |
| 2021 | The Good Fight | Allegra Durado | 3 episodes |
| Q-Force | Deb | Voice, main role | |
| 2021–present | The Upshaws | Lucretia Turner | Main role, 48 episodes; also co-creator, writer, executive producer |
| 2022 | 94th Academy Awards | Herself (co-host) | TV special |
| Chivalry | Jean Shrill | Main role | |
| Gutsy[61] | Herself | Episode: "Gutsy Women Have the Last Laugh" | |
| 2023 | Star Wars: The Bad Batch | Phee Genoa | Voice, 5 episodes |
| History of the World, Part II | Various | 8 episodes; also writer and executive producer | |
| The Daily Show | Herself (guest host) | 4 Episodes (Week of Jan. 23)[62] | |
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Herself (guest) | Episode: October 4[63] | |
| 2023–2024 | Velma | Linda Blake | Voice, 9 episodes |
| 2024 | Rock Paper Scissors | Dian | Voice, episode: "Trash" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tiny Tina's Wonderlands | Frette | Voice |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–1998 | The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show | Writer | 11 episodes |
| 1997–2000 | The Chris Rock Show | Wrote 33 episodes; Co-produced 14 episodes | |
| 1998 | Comedy Central Presents | Herself and writer (as Wanda Sykes-Hall) | Episode: "Wanda Sykes-Hall" |
| 2001 | Best of the Chris Rock Show: Volume 2 | Writer | TV special |
| The Downer Channel | Wrote the first 2 episodes | ||
| 2002 | The 74th Annual Academy Awards | Special material written by | Award show |
| 2002–2003 | Premium Blend | Writer | 4 episodes/Stand-up |
| 2003 | Wanda Sykes: Tongue Untied | Stand-up | |
| Wanda at Large | Creator, writer and producer | 19 episodes | |
| 2004 | Wanda Does It | Creator, writer and executive producer | 6 episodes |
| 2006 | Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired | Writer | Stand-up |
| 2009 | Wanda Sykes: I'ma Be Me[28] | ||
| 2009–2010 | The Wanda Sykes Show | Creator, writer and executive producer | 21 episodes |
| 2016 | What Happened... Ms. Sykes? | Writer | Stand-up |
| 2018 | Roseanne | Sitcom | |
| 2019 | Wanda Sykes: Not Normal | Stand-up | |
| 2023 | Wanda Sykes: I'm an Entertainer |
Sykes has been nominated for seventeen Primetime Emmys, with one win (in 1999) for "Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music or Program." In 2001, she won the American Comedy Award for "Funniest Female Stand-Up Comic". She won a Comedy Central Commie Award for "Funniest TV Actress" in 2003.[64] In 2010 she won theGLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak Award.[65][66] In 2015 she won the Activism in the Arts honor at the Triumph Awards.[67]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series | The Chris Rock Show | Nominated | |
| 1999 | Won | ||||
| 2000 | Nominated | ||||
| 2001 | Nominated | ||||
| 2007 | Outstanding Variety Special | Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Outstanding Variety Special | Wanda Sykes: I'ma Be Me | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special | Nominated | ||||
| 2017 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Black-ish (episode: "Lemons") | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Black-ish (episode: "Juneteenth") | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Outstanding Variety Special | Wanda Sykes: Not Normal | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special | Nominated | ||||
| 2020 | Outstanding Variety Special | Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (episode: "A Jewish Girl Walks Into the Apollo...") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance | Crank Yankers (episode: "Bobby Brown, Wanda Sykes & Kathy Griffin") | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Taped) | Wanda Sykes: I'm an Entertainer | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance | Crank Yankers (episode: "Wanda Sykes, JB Smoove & Adam Carolla") | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Guest Performer in a Daytime Fiction Program | Noah's Arc: The 'Rona Chronicles | Nominated | |
| 2024 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television | Wanda Sykes: I'm an Entertainer | Nominated | [68] |
| 2025 | Critics Choice Association | Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television]] | Career Achievement | Won |
| Year | Title | Label | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Tongue Untied[69] | Comedy Central Records | DVD/Download/Streaming |
| 2007 | Sick and Tired[70] | Image Entertainment | |
| 2010 | I'ma Be Me[71] | HBO Home Video | |
| 2018 | What Happened... Ms. Sykes?[72] | Sykes Entertainment | Download/Streaming |
| 2019 | Not Normal | Netflix | Streaming |
| International | |
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