Wanda Sykes

W ANDA SYKES

W ANDA SYKES is an Emmy winning stand up comic, writer, actress and producer who

has been entertaining audiences for over twenty years. She has ranked among Entertainment

Weekly's “25 Funniest People in America” and her peers have called her “one of the funniest

stand-up comics” in the field.

In 2023 Wanda was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Nominations; Two for her

Netflix special Wanda Sykes; I’

m an Entertainer (her sixth stand-up special ) and another for her

role as ‘Gladys Murphy’ in Crank Yankers, a role she originated in 2004. In 2020, she received

Emmy nominations for both her role as real-life comic ‘Moms Mabley’ in The Marvelous Mrs.

Maisel and for her voice work as ‘Gladys Murphy’ in Crank Yankers. Wanda’s guest-starring role

on ABC’s Black-ish also brought her two back-to-back Emmy nominations for “Outstanding

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series” in 2017 and 2018. Her fifth standup special, Wanda Sykes:

Not Normal, is streaming on Netflix and was nominated for two 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards;

“Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special” and “Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music

or Comedy Special.

” The special also received a Broadcast Critic Award nomination.

Wanda can currently be seen in season 4 of the Netflix’s comedy The Upshaws, which

she is writing, co-showruning and starring in. The Upshaws centers on a working-class African

American family in Indiana struggling to make it work and make it right without any blueprints.

The show was recently picked up for a fourth season with 12 episodes. Season one was

nominated for a People’s Choice Award and a 2022 NAACP Image Award. Sykes was also

nominated for and NAACP Image award for supporting actress. In 2022, she was seen starring

in the Hulu / Mel Brooks series History of the World PT2 which she also writes and produces with

Nick Kroll and Ike Barinholtz. She recently produced and was a part of the Apple TV+ 5-part

documentary series Visible; Out on Television, about how the LGBTQ movement has shaped the

history of the medium. Each hour-long episode explores themes of homophobia, the evolution of

the LGBTQ character, and coming out in the television industry. Wanda spent five years on the

CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine co-starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as well as

HBO's critically acclaimed The Chris Rock Show (the latter of which earned her two Emmy

nominations and one win). She has appeared in Broad City, House of Lies, Curb Your

Enthusiasm, and many more hit television shows. Other TV credits include Fox's Wanda at

Large which she wrote, produced and starred in, Wanda Does It on Comedy Central, and Crank

Yankers. Wanda even starred on her own late-night talk show on Fox, The Wanda Sykes Show.

In 2017, Wanda was seen in the feature comedy Snatched, opposite Amy Schumer and

Goldie Hawn. She was also seen in Evan Almighty (sequel to Bruce Almighty), in which she

co-starred with Steve Carell, the cult-hit Monster-In-Law with Jane Fonda and Jennifer

Lopez, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Pootie Tang, Nutty Professor 2; The Klumps, Down to Earth and

many more.Wanda has had four comedy specials prior to Not Normal; 2016’s What Happened...Ms.

Sykes? which premiered on Epix, 2009’s Wanda Sykes: I'ma Be Me on HBO, nominated for two

Emmys, HBO’s 2006 comedy special Wanda Sykes: Sick & Tired, nominated for a 2007 Emmy

for “Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special,

” and her first, 2003’s Wanda Sykes: Tongue

Untied, which premiered on Comedy Central. Her stand up has tackled everything from politics

and marriage to racial profiling and parenting.

In 2012, Wanda joined forces with veteran producer Page Hurwitz to form Push It

Productions, a production company dedicated to creating quality, comedy-based programming for

network and cable television outlets. The company's diverse slate of projects includes sketch

comedy, concerts, reality talk/variety, and competition formats. In just its first year, Push It made

a first look production deal with NBC, had a new series on OWN (Herlarious, which was the

recipient of a 2014 Gracie Award), and the company currently has shows in development with

NickMom (Comedy Camp) and Comcast. Push It Productions produced the 8th

and 9th

seasons of

NBC’s Last Comic Standing and the second season of Talk Show The Game Show, which

premiered on TruTV in February 2018. They also helmed the second season of Face Value,

hosted by Deon Cole, which returned to BET in spring 2018.

Push It received two Primetime Emmy nominations in 2020 for “Outstanding Variety

Special” for Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah and for “Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series”

for Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready.

”

Wanda can be heard in many animated feature films and television shows, such as

Fox’s Ice Ace: Collision Course (reprising her role as ‘Granny’ from Ice Age: Continental Drift)

Dreamworks’

Over the Hedge and Paramount’s The Barnyard, as well as children's shows

Vampirina and Doc McStuffins.

Wanda’s first book, Yeah, I Said It, published by Simon and Schuster, hit bookstores in

September 2004. Yeah, I Said It is a hilarious collection of essays touching on life, family and the

current events of the time.

Wanda was born in Portsmouth, Virginia and raised in Maryland. She graduated with a

Bachelor of Science degree from Hampton University. Her stand up career began at a Coors Light

Super talent Showcase in Washington, D.C. where she performed for the first time in front of a

live audience.

This event will be a phone-free experience. Use of phones, smart watches, and accessories will not be permitted in the performance space. Upon arrival at the venue, all phones, smart watches, and accessories will be secured in individual Yondr pouches that will be opened at the end of the event. Guests maintain possession of their devices at all times and can access them throughout the event only in designated Phone Use Areas within the venue. All devices will be re-secured in Yondr pouches before returning to the performance space. Anyone seen using a device (phone, smart watch or accessories) during the performance will be escorted out of the venue.” 

WANDA SYKES owns all rights in the content and materials delivered during her performance (the “Materials”). Any use of the Materials without the express prior written consent of WANDA SYKES is strictly prohibited and is punishable to the full extent of the law.