Everything About Wanda Sykes' Father

04 Feb 2024, 00:00

Harry Ellsworth Sykes is the father of Wanda Yvette Sykes. Harry’s daughter Wanda Sykes is a prominent stand-up comedian, actress, and writer who was first recognized for her work as a writer on The Chris Rock Show. She is known for her roles on CBS’ The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–10), HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001–present), and ABC’s Black-ish (2015–2022). She has appeared in Monster-in-Law (2005), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Evan Almighty (2007), and License to Wed (2007).

Harry Ellsworth Sykes: Bio Summary

Who Is Wanda Sykes’ Father, Harry?

Harry Ellsworth Sykes is widely known as the father of Wanda Sykes. He was born on May 8, 1934, to parents whose identity hasn’t been revealed. Information regarding Harry’s life as a child and family has been kept away from the public domain. He grew up and became a U.S. Army colonel employed at the Pentagon. He married Marion Louise (née Peoples), who worked as a banker.

Harry Ellsworth Sykes and Marion Louise Sykes are the parents of Wanda Yvette Sykes and Harry Sykes. Wanda once mentioned that everyone in her family was funny, especially her brother Harry. According to a source, Wanda said in a Facebook post that Harry took her to her first concert and it was one of the best nights of her life. The siblings share a great bond between themselves.

While Harry Sykes has lived privately and stayed away from the spotlight, Wanda Sykes is a popular stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. The family moved to Maryland when Wanda was in third grade. Harry Ellsworth Sykes and his partner Marion Louise Sykes are said to be highly religious. Wanda once revealed that whenever her parents had guests, they would send her to her grandmother’s house or pay money to stay quiet, per a source.

There was digging done regarding the Sykes family history for an episode of the program “Finding Your Roots”. The family’s history traced Wanda’s ancestry back to a 1683 court case. The case involved Wanda Sykes’ ninth paternal great-grandmother Elizabeth Banks, a free white woman who had given birth to a biracial child called Mary Banks. Mary’s father was an enslaved person.

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According to historian Ira Berlin, the Sykes family history is “the only such case that I know of in which it is possible to trace a black family rooted in freedom from the late 17th century to the present.”

Harry Sykes’ Daughter Wanda Came Out As A Lesbian

Harry Ellsworth Sykes’ child Wanda Sykes has let the world know that she is a lesbian. She spoke about her sexuality when she delivered an impromptu speech at a same-sex marriage rally in Las Vegas regarding Proposition 8. Wanda told her parents Harry and Marion Louise Sykes that she is a lesbian when she was 40.

Harry Ellsworth Sykes and Marion Louise Sykes found it difficult to accept their daughters’ sexuality as lesbian. They even refused to be present during Wanda Sykes’ wedding ceremony with Alex Niedbalski, a French woman, whom she met in 2006. Wanda used to be married to record producer Dave Hall, from 1991 to 1998. Wanda and her parents became estranged.

Finally, Harry Ellsworth Sykes and Marion Louise Sykes were able to embrace the fact that their daughter Wanda is a lesbian and there’s nothing they can do about it. They have reconciled with their daughter, Wanda. Wanda said: “Relationship after relationship, I eventually decided to be honest. I thought, “My family’s not going to be cool with this.” Everything’s great now, but it took a long time for us to get there.

“I had to practice a lot of patience. The more I felt comfortable with myself, with who I was, I became confident and stopped arguing with them. It became their problem, it wasn’t mine. Then I think my parents realized that, “Oh, she’s not going to change. This is who she is. If we want to be involved in her life, I guess we have to roll with this.”

“Most parents do love you. It’s not even about them. They’re more concerned about what other people are going to say. They’re more fearful of that”, Wanda Sykes said. “The drive behind me coming out publicly was when it became political, back when Proposition 8 was being talked about. I felt like I had to say something. You’re inspecting my life, the life that I have?”

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“You’re saying that my marriage isn’t legal? That’s when I said alright, it’s important to speak out. Also, I wanted to put a face on who that was affecting, not just white gay men. There are women. There are mothers. There are real people involved in these votes that affect lives and kids. After I gave my speech in Las Vegas, by the time I went back to the hotel, it was on TV and I was like, “Oh, okay. I’m out.” It was like, “Oh, cool.” I already said what was the truth.”

Wanda Sykes revealed she “love stories where you have gay characters, but it’s not just about being gay, it’s not just about identity. Shonda Rhimes does a great job of that.” She also “think it’s helped when I mention my wife on stage. I hope we can get to a place where it’s normal to say, “Yeah, my wife and I,” and it’s not, “oh my god!” Which is why it’s important to have representation. Television really is educational and it does affect society and how we see each other.”

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