Actress, writer and American comedian Wanda Sykes is known for her snazzy routines. She has acted in several comedy shows as well as films and television series. She has received many awards throughout her career and is considered one of the funniest stand-up comics in America. Get to know more about her including her net worth, sexuality, biography, wife and family etc.
Wanda Sykes’ Biography
Wanda Yvette Sykes was born on March 7, 1964 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Her father, Harry Ellsworth Sykes, was a US Army colonel and worked in the Pentagon, while mother Marion Louise was a banker. She also had an older brother named Harry. Sykes spent her formative years in the state of Maryland, studying at Arundel High School. She returned to Virginia for her college education, where she attended Hampton University, a historically black university. She received a BSc in Marketing from the institution.
During his undergraduate years, Sykes worked as a contractor for the National Security Agency. The job didn’t give her much fulfillment and she started performing at various local comedy clubs. She found getting up made her a lot happier and after five years she left the NSA for New York City to pursue a career in comedy. It was a big gamble, but it ultimately paid off. After opening up for other well-known comics, Wanda Sykes was hired as a writer for The Chris Rock Show in 1997. It launched her into the spotlight, and since then, the Virginia-native has never looked back.
She has cast several comedy shows including Wanda on the Loose , Wanda Does It , Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired , Wanda Sykes: I Am Me , The Wanda Sykes Show , etc. She has also acted in several films including Monsters in Law (2005 ), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Evan Almighty (2007), License to Wed (2007), Pootie Tang (2001), Bad Moms (2016) and The Hot Flashes (2013). In addition, the comic lent her unique voice to several animations, including Over the Hedge(2006), Brother Bear 2 (2006), Rio (2011), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), Ice Age: Collision Course (2016), Barnyard (2006).
Wanda Sykes has received several awards, including aPrimetime Emmy for “Outstanding Writing for a Variety of Music—or Comedy—Specials” in 1999 (as part of the writing team for The Chris Rock Show). She also received the American Comedy Award for Outstanding Female Standup Comics (2001) as well as the Comedy Central Commie Award for “Funniest TV Actress (2003).
Wealth (income and earnings)
Sykes’ net worth is currently around $6 million. Her sources of income are ostensibly her television shows and stand-up performances. Other sources of income are the numerous films and television series in which she has acted. She also received royalties from her 2004 book. Yes, I said so. In May 2009, she made history as the first openly gay and first African American woman to chair the Whitehouse Correspondent’s Association dinner.
