Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes is a comedian, actress, and author. She began her stand-up career in 1987 and got her big break opening for Chris Rock, joining his writing team on "The Chris Rock Show" in 1997. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Special for her work on "The Chris Rock Show." Her own stand-up special, "Hilarious," aired in July 2019. She also starred in her own late-night talk show on FOX, “The Wanda Sykes Show” in 2009. She has had recurring roles on CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." She currently stars in the Netflix original series "The Upshaws," the HBO Max comedy series "The Other Two," and "The Good Fight."

In 2022, she co-hosted the 94th Academy Awards and guest-hosted "The Daily Show" in 2023. She has also been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her roles in ABC's "Black-ish" and Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

In 2001, she won the American Comedy Award for "Outstanding Female Stand Up Comic" and in 2004, Entertainment Weekly named her one of the 25 funniest people in America. She has appeared in films such as Monster-in-Law, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Evan Almighty, and License to Wed. She has also lent her voice to characters in animated films, including Over the Hedge, Barnyard, Brother Bear 2, Rio, and the Ice Age franchise.

She has been a correspondent for HBO's "Inside the NFL," for which she received three Emmys in 2002, 2004, and 2005, and she voiced a character on Comedy Central's "Crank Yankers." In 2004, she wrote a book called "Yeah, I Said It" and was also a head writer for the revived tenth season of "Roseanne" in 2018.

In 2010 she won a GLAAD award for promoting a good image of equal rights for gays and lesbians. She has been a public speaker on topics such as same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.