>> Stephen: HEY EVERYBODY, WE'RE BACK HERE WITH STAR OF THE
UPSHAWS WANDA SYKES, YOU ARE BACK ON TOUR WHICH MUST FEEL
GOOD AFTER BEING OFF TOUR FOR SO LONG.
BECAUSE THESE ARE THE GREATEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
>> YES, THEY ARE.
>> Stephen: AND YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PINPOINT THE MOMENT BUT
WHY DID YOU WANT TO GET INTO COMEDY, DID YOU HAVE A SEMINAL
MOMENT FOR SNU.
>> I JUST REMEMBER GROWING UP IN AND WATCHING ALL THOSE GREAT
VARIETY SHOWS YOU HAD GROWING UP, SMOTHERS BROTHERS, ED
SULLIVAN, YES.
FLIP WILSON, ALL THAT.
AND JUST SITTING WITH THE FAMILY AND LAUGHING AND LOOKING FOR MY
GRANDMOTHER LAUGH, MY MOTHER LAUGH AND I JUST, THAT ALWAYS
JUST STAYED WITH ME AND THEN AFTER COLLEGE AND EVERYTHING, I
JUST HATED EVERY JOB THAT I HAD.
AND THIS WAS LIKE, THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANT TO BE DOING THE NEXT
40 YEAR, COME ON. I JUST END UP BEING A RAGING ALCOHOLIC IF I
STAY HERE THIS LONG.
>> YOU CAN DO BOTH.
>> I CAN DO BOTH.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE DO.
>> YEAH.
>> SO YEAH, SO I JUST REMEMBERED LIKE HOW MUCH I LOVED COMEDY,
HOW MUCH I LOVED MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH.
>> YOU HAVE EARLY MEMORIES OF MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH?
>> YEAH, I KNEW I HAD SOMETHING WHEN I THINK IT WAS ITS 6th,
7th GRADE, WE WERE HAVING A BLOCK PARTY AND THE NEIGHBOR
ACROSS THE STREET, ALL THE GENTLEMEN, THROWING THEM BACK A
LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH, THE MAN FOUGHT IN THE WAR AND HE FELL,
HE BUMPED, CRACKED HIS HEAD OPEN BASICALLY AND ALL THE OTHER
ADULTS WERE A LITTLE SLOSHED TOO, SO ONE WAS SOBER AND THEY
WERE LIKE WANDA GO WITH HER TO TAKE HIM TO THE MILITARY BASE
BECAUSE MY DAD'S MILITARY.
SO IT WAS LIKE GO AND SHOW HER HOW TO GET THERE AND ALL THAT
STUFF.
WE DIDN'T HAVE THE WAZE BACK THEN, SO WE GET TO THE ARMY
HOSPITAL AND YOU KNOW, GETTING HIM CHECKED IN AND THE DOCTOR
SAID LOOK, WE HAVE HIS-- IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD
KNOW ABOUT HIM AND I WAS LIKE I WOULDN'T PUT HIM NEAR AN OPEN
FLAME RIGHT NOW.
AND THE DOCTOR FELL OUT LAUGHING AND I WAS LIKE-- I GOT
SOMETHING.
(APPLAUSE).
>> Stephen: SPEAKING OF THE ED SULLIVAN THEATER I JUST OUND
OUT THAT ONE OF YOUR EARLY COMEDIC HEROES ACTUALLY
PERFORMED HERE.
AND I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED HER STUFF AND THAT'S MOM'S MAYBE.
>> YES, YES.
>> Stephen: AND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW, TELL THEM WHO
MOM'S MAF ORE WAS.
>> OH MY GOD, MY HERO, BASICALLY, A COMING EDIAN, SHE
FIRST STARTED BACK IN, THEY CALLED IT THE-- SHE WAS JUST
REALLY AHEAD OF HER TIME.
THE JOKES THAT SHE WOULD DO, SHE WAS LIKE ONE OF THE FIRST COMICS
WHO ACTUALLY WOULD TACK TO THE AUDIENCE, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF
JUST LIKE DOS LIKE JOKES, SHE WOULD SAY LET ME TELL YOU
SOMETHING, KIDS AND SHE WAS LIKE T WAS LIKE SELF-DEP RI KATEING,
SOME WHAT, BUT ALSO LIKE POLITICAL, YOU KNOW, SHE WOULD
TALK ABOUT SOCIAL ISSUES.
JUST REALLY FUNNY, MEANT THE WORLD TO ME.
>> Stephen: YOU PLAYED HER IN THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAAZEL WHAT
IS THAT LIKE TO PLAY ONE OF YOUR COMEDIC HEROES.
>> FOR REAL, FOR REAL, YEAH, AND NOT ONLY DID I GET TO PLAY HER,
I GOT TO PLAY HER ON AN AMAZING SHOW LIKE MRS. MAAZEL AND WE
SHOT IT AT THE APOLLO THEATER SO MI STANDING-- AND THAT WAS MOM'S
HOME, LIKE, YOU KNOW, THAT AND D.C. BUT YEAH.
>> Stephen: WELL, YOUR NEW NETFLIX, NOT NEW BUT NEW SEASON
OF YOUR NETFLIX SHOW THE UPSHAWS RETURNS TO SEASON 2 ON
WEDNESDAY.
YOU COCREATED IT THE SHOW, STAR IN IT, AN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER,
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO DO.
>> MORE HILARITY, WE SHOULD NAME THE SHOW THAT.
>> IT IS REALLY FUNNY, I LOVE THE SHOW, I LOVE THE WRITERS.
YOU KNOW, THE UPSHAWS ARE MESSY, A WORKING CLASS AFRICAN-AMERICAN
FAMILY IN THE MIDWEST AND AND YES T IS JUST MORE DRAMA MORE
COMEDY, JUST MORE.
>> WE HAVE A CLIP RIGHT THERE.
>> LET'S SEE.
>> IF I PUT SUGAR ON CORN CHIPS THAT'S FROSTED FLAKES, RIGHT?
>> JUST ADD A BANANA.
NOW GO I'M TRYING TO GET THIS PLACE STAYSENNED UP.
PEOPLE SUCK.
I GRABBED THE LAST PACK OF MARKERS AND MRS. CHERRY CAME AT
ME WITH A PAIR OF SAFETY DISISSERS.
I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO IT BUT WILL YOU SEE IT ON THE NEWS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WAIT A MINUTE, WHERE IS THE CUCUMBER.
>> LIKE I SAID, YOU'LL SEE IT ON THE NEWS.
>> Stephen: WANDA LOVELY TO SIGH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
SEASON TWO OF THE UPSHAWS PREMIER THIS WEDNESDAY ON
NETFLIX.
MS. WANDA SYKES, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH RONAN FARROW.