Wanda Sykes Height, Age, Wife, Husband, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Birth Name	Wanda Yvette Sykes
Profession(s)	• Actor • Writer • Stand-up Comedian
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 2" (158 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black with Light Golden Brown highlights
Career
Debut	TV: Def Comedy Jam (1990s)
Awards	1999: Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series award for 'The Chris Rock Show' at the 51st Primetime Emmy Awards 2025: Career Achievement award at the Critics Choice Association's 2nd Annual Celebration Of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television
Personal Life
Date of Birth	7 March 1964 (Saturday)
Age (as of 2025)	61 Years
Birthplace	Portsmouth, Virginia, United States
Zodiac sign	Pisces
Signature/Autograph
Nationality	American
School	Arundel High School, Gambrills, Maryland
College/University	Hampton University, Virginia
Educational Qualification	Bachelor of Science in Marketing
Food Habit	Vegetarian/Non-vegetarian
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • Twitter • Official Website
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Sexual Orientation	Lesbian
Marriage Date	Second Marriage: 25 October 2008
Family
Spouse	• Dave Hall (record producer) (m. 1991; div. 1998) • Alex Sykes (internet personality) (m. 2008 - Present)
Children	Son- Lucas Claude Daughter- Olivia Lou
Parents	Father- Harry Ellsworth Sykes (served as a colonel in the United States Army, worked at the Pentagon) Mother- Marion Louise Sykes (née Peoples) (banker)
Siblings	Brother- Harry Sykes (elder) Sister- None
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)	$10 million (as of 2026)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Wanda Sykes

• Wanda Sykes was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, where she spent her early childhood years.

• When she was in the third grade, her family relocated to Maryland, where she spent the rest of her childhood.

• In 2012, the PBS show ‘Finding Your Roots’ explored Wanda’s family history. It traced her ancestry to a rare 1683 court case involving her ancestor Elizabeth Banks, a free white indentured servant.
  

  Wanda Sykes in a still from the show ‘Finding Your Roots’

• Elizabeth Banks had a biracial daughter, Mary Banks, whose father was enslaved. Mary was born free because she inherited her mother’s legal status, making this a rare case of a Black family not starting in slavery.

• Historian Ira Berlin, an expert on American slavery, described Sykes’s family history as the only known case where a Black family can be traced as free from the late 1600s to the present.

• Wanda attended Hampton University, where she also became a member of the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.

• After completing her formal studies, Wanda began her professional career as a contracting specialist at the National Security Agency and worked there for five years before pursuing other opportunities.

• Wanda Sykes performed in front of a live audience for the first time in 1987 at the Coors Light Super Talent Showcase in Washington, D.C., marking the start of her stand-up career.

• While working at the National Security Agency, she continued performing comedy on nights and weekends at local venues until 1992.

• In 1992, she moved to New York City to pursue comedy more seriously.

• Early in her career, Sykes appeared on Def Comedy Jam and performed alongside comedians such as Bernie Mac and D. L. Hughley.

• At the same time, she worked at Hal Leonard publishing and edited the book Polyrhythms – The Musician’s Guide.

• Her first major break came when she opened for Chris Rock at Caroline’s Comedy Club, gaining wider recognition in the comedy world.

• In 1997, Sykes joined the writing team of ‘The Chris Rock Show’ and frequently appeared on the show as a performer.

• The show’s writing team earned four Emmy nominations, and in 1999, they won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Special.

• Sykes later began appearing in films. In 1998, she appeared in a comedy film titled ‘Tomorrow Night.’
  

  Wanda Sykes in a still from the film ‘Tomorrow Night’ (1998)

• In 2001, she played the role of ‘Biggie Shorty’ in the film ‘Pootie Tang.’
  

• She also appeared in a few short films, including ‘MTV: Reloaded’ (2003).

• In 2003, she starred in her own Fox sitcom, ‘Wanda at Large,’ though the show ran for a short period.

• That same year, she released a one-hour Comedy Central special titled ‘Tongue Untied,’ and Comedy Central later ranked her No. 70 on its list of the 100 greatest stand-ups of all time.
  

  Wanda Sykes in the show ‘Tongue Untied’

• Sykes has also created, written, and produced her own shows, including ‘Wanda Does It’ (2004) and ‘The Wanda Sykes Show’ (2009-2010).

• In 2004, Sykes came out to her parents; they initially struggled to accept it, which caused a brief distance before they later made peace with her.

• She went on to appear in many other films, such as Ruby in ‘Monster-in-Law’ (2005), Rita Daniels in ‘Evan Almighty’ (2007), Dr. Karl in ‘Bad Moms’ (2016), and Rita in ‘Breaking News in Yuba County’ (2021).
  

  Wanda Sykes as Ruby in a still from ‘Monster-in-Law’ (2005)

• Sykes has also worked as a voice artist for animated films like ‘The Adventures of Brer Rabbit’ (2006), ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’ (2012), and ‘UglyDolls’ (2019).

• She has appeared in many television series, such as NBC’s ‘Will & Grace’ (2006), Lifetime’s ‘Drop Dead Diva’ (2011), Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Alpha House’ (2013-2014), Netflix’s ‘The Upshaws’ (2021), and Channel 4’s ‘Chivalry’ (2022).
  

  Wanda Sykes in a still from the series ‘Drop Dead Diva’ (2011)

• Sykes met Alex Niedbalski in 2006, and the two later married in a private ceremony in October 2008.

• In November 2008, Sykes publicly came out as a lesbian at a same-sex marriage rally in Las Vegas against Proposition 8.

• In April 2009, the couple became parents when Niedbalski gave birth to their fraternal twin children.

• In 2010, while touring in Detroit, Sykes visited the Ruth Ellis Center, a non-profit organisation, and later supported its work for LGBTQ+ youth.

• In early 2011, Sykes was diagnosed with a non-invasive, early-stage form of breast cancer and chose to have a bilateral mastectomy to lower her future risk.

• Sykes has voiced characters for various series, including ‘Bubble Guppies’ (2012), ‘Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero’ (2015, 2017), ‘Vampirina’ (2017-2021), ‘Velma’ (2023-2024), and ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ (2024).
  

  A poster of the series ‘Bubble Guppies’

• Wanda is an avid animal lover and has also worked with PETA to support laws that ban chaining dogs in her home state.

• Sykes often uses Twitter to share her political views. On 17 July 2021, she called on Congress to pass the For the People Act and urged people to join the “Good Trouble Vigil” in memory of John Lewis.