Wanda Sykes is a celebrated comedian with nearly three decades in the entertainment industry. After launching her stand-up career in the late 1980s, she relocated to New York to pursue her passion for comedy, eventually joining The Chris Rock Show as a writer in the 1990s. Since then, she has achieved numerous successes, including several comedy specials and various television and film roles. For more than fifteen years, Wanda has shared her life with her wife, Alex Niedbalski. Though Alex is not a comedian, she provides unwavering support for her wife.
Discover all the details about her here!
How did Wanda and Alex meet?
Wanda and Alex’s meeting story is quite charming. In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, the star of Tongue Untied shared that a friend had suggested she use cheesy pickup lines to meet people. Instead, Wanda found herself discussing a kitchen renovation project with Alex while on a ferry to Fire Island, New York. It seems this conversation was a turning point. Wanda recounted, “Something really said to me – like, audibly – ‘Wow, that’s what you need, Wanda.'”
Wanda and Alex exchanged vows in October 2008. Just a month later, the comedian publicly came out as a lesbian at a rally advocating for same-sex marriage and opposing Proposition 8 in California. The former Oscars host reflected on this struggle in an anniversary post celebrating their 12 years together in October 2020. She wrote, “In 2008, we were fighting for marriage equality. We asked [our] friends in lieu of gifts to support #NoProp8. Although CA Prop 8 passed, we eventually won marriage equality for the country via the Supreme Court.” Since their marriage, Alex has adopted Wanda’s surname.
Alex is an interior designer
It’s fitting that a conversation about a kitchen remodel captured Alex’s attention, as she works in a related field! While Alex consistently demonstrates her support for Wanda on Instagram and has even appeared in some humorous videos with her wife, she was a professional before they met. She holds a vice president position at a Canadian company specializing in kitchen countertops, according to Suggest.
Alex and Wanda have a set of twins
One year after their wedding, Wanda and Alex welcomed fraternal twins, a son named Lucas Claude and a daughter named Olivia Lou. Alex gave birth to them in April 2009. At the time, Wanda’s representative confirmed to Today that the mothers and babies were all doing well, stating, “All are happy and healthy and at home.”
In a 2016 interview with Vulture, Wanda humorously discussed the challenges of adjusting to parenthood, mentioning her extreme exhaustion. “The hardest thing to get through was just how tired I was, just the lack of sleep,” she admitted. “At one time I was contemplating taking one back. I was like, can we return one? I mean really, oh my gosh. I was thinking we can’t do this, we’re going to have to take one back.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Wanda and Alex’s focus was primarily on their twins. “The majority of my time now is the cafeteria lady, the janitor, and the hall monitor. It’s crazy,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2020. “By the time they go to bed, Alex and I sit down to watch something, and we barely make it through an episode of anything. We both fall asleep.”
Alex sometimes stars in Wanda’s comedy videos
Although Wanda is the primary comedian, Alex proves she has a comedic side in some of their joint Instagram videos. In that 2016 Vulture interview, Wanda described her wife as “funny,” though sometimes “unintentionally.” The couple occasionally creates endearing clips where they address the camera, share messages with their fans, and playfully tease each other. They have produced humorous videos to mark holidays or anniversaries, and Alex has even shared her expertise on French wine pronunciation. Wanda has also shared funny dance lessons, such as a memorable video set to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You.”
Some of their videos lean more towards heartfelt than humorous. The star of The Upshaws celebrated Valentine’s Day with a touching video of her and Alex dancing in their kitchen to the Bee Gees’ “More Than A Woman,” ending with a joint Happy V-Day wish to Wanda’s fans.
Alex is Wanda’s second marriage
Prior to coming out as gay, Wanda was married to record producer Dave Hall from 1991 to 1998. Dave Hall was renowned for his work with numerous prominent artists, including Mary J. Blige, Madonna, and Usher. In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, Wanda reflected on how her past relationship influenced her humor, making it somewhat sharper during the 90s. “It just speaks to being in a bad relationship with my husband,” she stated. “I was being honest. I wanted to get away. Like: ‘God, there’s his stupid face, and he’s chewing. Ugh, does he have to breathe? Make him stop breathing.'”
She added that since their separation, she values her wife even more, highlighting the depth of her love for Alex compared to her ex-husband. “Now I’m in a great relationship, and I’m happy, so my wife’s chewing doesn’t annoy me,” she quipped.