37 Facts About Wanda Sykes

Wanda Yvette Sykes was born on March 7,1964 and is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer.

Wanda Sykes was first recognized for her work as a writer on The Chris Rock Show, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999.

Wanda Sykes is known for her recurring roles on CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine, and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Wanda Sykes received Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series nominations for her roles in ABC's Black-ish, and Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.

Wanda Sykes's family moved to Maryland when she was in the third grade.

Wanda Sykes's mother, Marion Louise, worked as a banker, and her father, Harry Ellsworth Sykes, was a US Army colonel employed at the Pentagon.

Wanda Sykes's ancestry was traced back to a 1683 court case involving her ancestor, Elizabeth Banks, a free white woman and indentured servant, who gave birth to a biracial child, Mary Banks, fathered by a slave, who inherited her mother's free status.

Wanda Sykes attended Arundel High School in Gambrills, Maryland, and went on to graduate from Hampton University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Wanda Sykes began her stand-up career at a Coors Light Super Talent Showcase in Washington, DC, where she performed for the first time in front of a live audience in 1987.

Wanda Sykes continued to perform on nights and weekends at local venues while at the NSA until 1992, when she moved to New York City.

Wanda Sykes served as a correspondent for HBO's Inside the NFL, hosted Comedy Central's popular show Premium Blend, and voiced a recurring character named Gladys on Comedy Central's puppet show Crank Yankers.

Wanda Sykes had a short-lived show on Comedy Central called Wanda Does It.

Wanda Sykes wrote Yeah, I Said It, a book of humorous observations on various topics, published in September 2004.

Wanda Sykes provided voices for the 2006 films Over the Hedge, Barnyard, and Brother Bear 2.

Wanda Sykes had a part in My Super Ex-Girlfriend and after playing in Evan Almighty, had a bit part in License to Wed.

In October 2008, Wanda Sykes appeared in a television ad for the Think Before You Speak Campaign, an advertising campaign by GLSEN aimed at curbing homophobic slang in youth communities.

In March 2009, Sykes became the host of a late-night talk show on Saturdays on Fox, The Wanda Sykes Show which was scheduled to premiere November 7,2009.

In May 2009, Wanda Sykes was the featured entertainer for the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, becoming both the first African American woman and the first openly LGBT person to get the role.

At this event, Wanda Sykes made controversial headlines as she responded to conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh's comments regarding President Barack Obama.

November 2009 saw the premier of The Wanda Sykes Show, which starts with a monologue and continues with a panel discussion in a similar format to Bill Maher's shows Real Time with Bill Maher and Politically Incorrect.

Wanda Sykes appeared as Miss Hannigan in a professional theatre production of Annie at The Media Theatre in Media, PA, a suburb southwest of Philadelphia.

In 2012, Wanda Sykes played the role of Granny in Blue Sky Studios' Ice Age: Continental Drift.

In 2013, Wanda Sykes appeared in eight episodes of Amazon's Alpha House, a political comedy series written by Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau.

Wanda 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.

Wanda Sykes appeared in Season Two, which became available in October 2014.

In 2018, Wanda Sykes became the head writer for the revived tenth season of Roseanne.

On May 29,2018, Wanda Sykes announced on Twitter that she would no longer be working on the series after a since-deleted Twitter rant by Roseanne Barr about Valerie Jarrett; Roseanne was canceled by ABC.

In 2021, Wanda Sykes began starring on the Netflix sitcom The Upshaws.

Wanda Sykes co-hosted the 94th Academy Awards with Regina Hall and Amy Schumer on March 27,2022.

In January 2023, Wanda Sykes guest hosted The Daily Show after Trevor Noah's departure.

Wanda Sykes was married to record producer Dave Hall from 1991 to 1998.

Wanda Sykes came out to her parents in 2004 when she was 40, who both initially had difficulty accepting her homosexuality.

Wanda Sykes publicly expressed being devastated when California voters passed state Proposition 8.

Wanda Sykes has worked with PETA on promoting dog anti-chaining legislation in her home state.

Wanda Sykes has been an outspoken supporter of Detroit's Ruth Ellis Center after the organization's staff sent Sykes a letter asking her to visit during her 2010 tour's stop in Detroit.

Wanda 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.

Wanda Sykes won a Comedy Central Commie Award for "Funniest TV Actress" in 2003.