As of November 2025, Wanda Sykes is 61 years old, stands 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall, weighs approximately 148 pounds (67 kg), and has an estimated net worth of $10 million. She has been happily married to French wife Alex Niedbalski since 2008 and is the proud mom of 16-year-old twins. Her annual salary now regularly tops $2 million thanks to Netflix hits and global tours.
Early Life & Surprising Roots
Wanda Yvette Sykes was born on March 7, 1964, in Portsmouth, Virginia, and moved to Maryland as a child. Her father was a U.S. Army colonel at the Pentagon, and her mother worked as a banker. What most fans don’t know is that in 2012, PBS’s Finding Your Roots traced her ancestry back to a free mixed-race woman named Elizabeth Banks in 1683 – making Wanda one of the very few African Americans who can document freedom that far back in colonial America.
She graduated from Hampton University with a marketing degree and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha. Before comedy, she spent five years as a contracting specialist at the NSA – yes, the actual National Security Agency. “I was good at paperwork, but my soul needed punchlines,” she often jokes.
Career Breakthrough & Money Milestones
Wanda’s first open-mic was in 1987 at a Coors Light talent showcase in Washington, D.C. By the mid-90s she was opening for Chris Rock and writing for The Chris Rock Show, winning her first Emmy in 1999. From there came HBO specials, Wanda at Large, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and voice roles in everything from Over the Hedge to Ice Age.
In 2025, she’s co-creator and star of Netflix’s The Upshaws (now in its fifth and final season), hosts the global “Please & Thank You” tour, and just made a dramatic film debut in Undercard as a retired boxer reconnecting with her estranged son.
| Career Milestone | Year & Details |
|---|---|
| Stand-up debut | 1987 – Coors Light Super Talent Showcase |
| Emmy win (writing) | 1999 – The Chris Rock Show |
| First HBO special | 2006 – Sick & Tired |
| White House Correspondents’ host | 2009 – First Black woman & openly LGBTQ+ host |
| Oscars co-host | 2022 – With Regina Hall & Amy Schumer |
| The Upshaws premiere | 2021 – Netflix, now Season 5 |
| Dramatic film debut – Undercard | 2025 – Lead role, Trailblazer Award at St. Louis Film Fest |
Married Life, Dating History & Family
Wanda was married to record producer Dave Hall from 1991 to 1998. She came out as gay in 2008 at a Las Vegas Prop 8 rally, the same month she secretly married French granite-countertop salesperson Alex Niedbalski. They met in 2006 on a ferry to Fire Island – “love at first countertop,” Wanda jokes.
Alex gave birth to fraternal twins Olivia Lou and Lucas Claude in April 2009. The family splits time between Media, Pennsylvania, and a beach house in Cherry Grove, New York. At 61, Wanda says the teenage years are her best material yet.
| Personal Life | Details |
|---|---|
| First marriage | Dave Hall (1991–1998) |
| Came out publicly | November 2008 |
| Met wife Alex | 2006 – Fire Island ferry |
| Married Alex Niedbalski | October 2008 |
| Twins born | April 27, 2009 |
| Health journey | Stage 0 breast cancer diagnosis 2011 → double mastectomy → cancer-free |
“When women thrive, the community thrives. If she’s Black, you got the job.”
— Wanda Sykes at Variety Power of Women, October 2025
Net Worth & Salary in 2025
Wanda’s net worth sits at $10 million in 2025. She reportedly earns $300,000+ per episode of The Upshaws, plus millions from touring and residuals. Her “Please & Thank You” world tour grossed over $5 million in the first quarter of 2025 alone.
Activism That Actually Moves the Needle
Beyond jokes, Wanda uses her platform hard. She’s a longtime board member of the Ruth Ellis Center for LGBTQ+ youth and PETA, and in 2025 she’s been vocal about protecting SNAP benefits for single mothers and hiring more Black women behind the camera. Her unapologetic “I hire racist and sexist – I hire Black women first” line at Variety’s Power of Women event went viral for all the right reasons.
From the NSA cubicle to the Oscars stage to dramatic roles at 61, Wanda Sykes keeps proving that funny, fearless, and fifty-plus can coexist beautifully.
For the complete timeline and filmography, visit her Wikipedia page or follow her on X at @iamwandasykes.
