Wanda Sykes has been deemed one of the funniest stand up comics by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly's 25 Funniest People in America.
Sykes was seen on several television shows over the past two years. This year she made a return to HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” starring opposite Larry David. In 2010 she starred on her own late night talk show on FOX, “The Wanda Sykes Show”. In October of 2009 her second HBO stand up special “I’ma Be Me” premiered. It was taped at the Warner theatre in Washington DC where she tackled topics like the first black president, gay cruises, being a new mom and aging. The special was nominated for two 2010 Primetime Emmy awards: Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special and Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special.
This July she can be heard in the animated feature “Ice Age: Continental Drift” as ‘Granny.’ In 2010 she was heard in the Fox animated feature “Rio” as ‘the Goose.’
Her first HBO comedy special “Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired” debuted in October 2006 and was nominated for a 2007 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. It was taped in Seattle and covered everything from racial profiling to gay marriage.
Sykes was seen in the feature films “Evan Almighty,” the sequel to “Bruce Almighty,” in which she co-starred with Steve Carell, the New Line feature “Monster-In-Law” starring opposite Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda, and was heard in the animated feature “Over the Hedge” for Dreamworks as well as “The Barnyard” for Paramount Pictures. She can also be seen co-starring with Luke Wilson and Uma Thurman in the romantic comedy “My Super Ex-Girlfriend.” Sykes starred and produced the Comedy Central show "Wanda Does It" where she tried various non-showbiz jobs. Her first book titled Yeah, I Said It, published by Simon & Schuster, hit bookstores in September 2004. Yeah, I Said It is a hilarious collection of essays touching on life, family and current events.
In the fall of 2003 she was seen on Fox's "Wanda at Large" which she wrote, produced and starred in. She also has a one hour Comedy Central special called "Wanda Sykes: Tongue Untied". In addition, she can be seen on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" or heard on Comedy Central's "Crank Yankers” as the voice of Gladys Murphy.
Wanda was born in Portsmouth, VA 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, DC where she performed for the first time in front of a live audience.
She spent 5 years as part of HBO's critically acclaimed "Chris Rock Show." As a performer and writer on the show, she was nominated for three Primetime Emmys and in 1999 won the Emmy for "Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special." In 2001, she won the American Comedy Award for "Outstanding Female Stand Up Comic". She won three more Emmys, in 2002, 2004 and 2005 , for her work on “Inside the NFL” for Outstanding Studio Show - Weekly- Inside The NFL.
In 2010 she won a GLAAD award for promoting equal rights for gays and lesbians in the media.
She also appeared in the feature films: "Pootie Tang", "Nutty Professor 2; The Klumps", and "Down to Earth".