For Wanda Sykes, 'Funny Always Wins'

Irreverent comic Wanda Sykes is a headliner this weekend at the re-opening of the historic Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. Sykes was working a day job as a government worker in the city almost 20 years ago when she began her stand-up career.

She recently spoke to The Root with her usual brand of levity about being a woman in comedy, learning about her white ancestor on Finding Your Roots with The Root's editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and how motherhood has changed her stand-up.

The Root: You're the opening act at the re-opening of the historic Howard Theatre this weekend. Will this be a kind of homecoming for you?

Wanda Sykes: Definitely. D.C. is where I started doing my stand-up. It's always been very special to me. I went to Hampton, and Howard is like our rival, but I still have love for D.C.

TR: You left your job as a government worker -- working for the National Security Agency -- to pursue comedy? Where did you find the audacity to do that?

WS: Just felt that I didn't belong, like I should be doing something else. Wouldn't say that I was a bad government employee, but whenever I built up eight hours of leave, I took the day off. I was never like everyone else, who tried to save up their leave; I was trying to get out of there.

TR: Your comedy acts tend to be rather political. Is it risky for an entertainer to be political?

WS: Whatever I talk about is what I'm interested in at the time. Politics are big with me. But right now being a mom is taking up most of my time. I like to joke that I know more about what's happening on Sesame Street than Wall Street ... Right now my act is more family-oriented than it is about politics.

TR: What aspect of your family life have you included in your act?

WS: Little bit of everything -- motherhood, being a parent. Just trying to do the right thing and realizing that there really isn't a handbook. People have their opinions on how to do it, but really, each child is an individual, so it's on-the-job training.

TR:The New York Times recently noted that female comics are pushing boundaries and taste in the field of comedy. Does that resonate with you? Or do you feel its still an all-boys' club in some ways?

WS: I just got back from Australia. I was over there for two weeks. All of my shows were sold out, you know, so I can't really bitch much about, "Oh it's so hard for women," because there is an audience. I think funny always wins.

TR: Recently you learned about your white ancestor Elizabeth Banks, your paternal ninth great-grandmother, on the PBS show Finding Your Roots. What was the experience like?

WS: That was mind-blowing to sit there with Dr. Gates ... Then when he got to Elizabeth Banks [who was white] and I read her crime ... and it blew my mind. She's free, but she's still an indentured servant; then to have sex with a slave and have a baby. It was just crazy. I'm like, man, what kind of life did she have?

Then it continued. That wasn't the only [baby] she had; there were other ones. I was just ... wow. I thought, at least now I found out where my love for white women comes from.

TR: Speaking of which, do you think you've lost some of your black following since coming out as a lesbian?

WS: I don't think so. I haven't noticed anything. If anything, I've gained some because there's a large African-American LGBT community. If I did lose some, they left quietly and respectfully.

TR: Recently you spoke out against comic Tracy Morgan for making homophobic and hateful jokes in one of his acts. Do you believe that as a community we'll ever get over our homophobia?

WS: I think we're making some advances. At least people are talking about it. The NAACP at the national convention created a panel with Julian Bond and I, and we discussed homophobia in the black community, which was great. This was the first time they've done that, especially at the national convention. I think we have a ways to go, but at least [there's been] some progress.

TR: You've done so much in your career over the last 20 years. Do you have a bucket list?

WS: It's funny; I always had one goal, and that was to be a real funny stand-up comic, and that's pretty much what I'm doing. And everything else is kind of like gravy -- TV, movies. I've even tried musical theater. I played in Annie in a local production, which was a lot of fun. I'm blessed and very happy doing what I'm doing.

Abdul Ali writes about culture for The Root. Follow him on Twitter.

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