Wanda Sykes is one of the 25 funniest people in America, says Entertainment Weekly. She's written for The Chris Rock Show and even The 74th Annual Academy Awards. She starred opposite Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda in Monster-In-Law. She's won two Emmys. She's talented. She's outspoken. But she's not a morning person.Somehow, though, we got Wanda to agree to a 7 a.m. interview. She recently called tbt* from her home in L.A., where not even her border terrier, Riley, was awake yet. Here are the excerpts.
You had lots of different jobs on your show Wanda Does It, but personally what's the worst job you've ever had?
The worst job I ever had was probably working at the Ponderosa Steakhouse, cleaning out the salad bar and just - yeah. Watching the cooks drop a tray of steaks and throwing them back on the grill.
In your book, Yeah, I Said It, you're pretty hard on President Bush. If you ran for president, what would your platform be?
I would never want that job. I think anyone who wants to be president, you're flawed already. There's something wrong with you, ya know? To want to have that much power and basically run the world, you're a screwed-up individual.
Is there a job you would want, if you could trade places with someone for a day?
Maybe Oprah. But then again, I doubt that I would do all that Oprah does.
So you would use your Oprah powers for evil and not for good?
No, not necessarily for evil. I think I would get really caught up in - actually, that's too much power, too. Maybe I would be Oprah for a day and then just pick a really ridiculous book for everyone to read, like Pimp . I would tell everybody to read Pimp by Iceberg Slim. Or no, not Pimp. I would tell everybody to read the Confessions of a Video Vixen. Yeah, that's what I would pick. I would just praise that book and say how great it is. Everyone should read it.
Who or what do you think is funny?
The Simpsons. Whenever the DVD comes out, I just buy that. I like The Office. At first I loved the original, and so I was a little skeptical about the American version. I like King of the Hill also. And I think Steve Carell (of The Office) is really funny, so I gave the American version a shot and I really think they did a really good job on it.
You're on the road a lot. What shows do you TiVo?
I TiVo Lost, Medium. What else do I TiVo? The L Word and what else? There's something else I TiVo. Nip/Tuck, but I haven't really watched all of those. I'm trying to think, is there anything else? Oh yeah, Entourage.
Could you see yourself living in Florida?
No. It's too damn hot. And the humidity, too.
But you live in LA.
We don't get the humidity. I don't know, I just don't see being very productive in Florida.
Isaac Mizrahi got flak for groping Scarlett Johansson and looking down Teri Hatcher's dress on the Golden Globes red carpet. Would you ever go that far?
God, no. No, uh-uh. I'm not really the hands-on type. I don't want anyone touching me, so I'm really - yeah. There's not a lot of people out there I would grope anyway. George Clooney might be in trouble, though. I might take a swipe at him, I don't know.
Is he your celebrity crush?
I met him when I was in New York, and me and a group of friends were having drinks at the Four Seasons lobby, I think we were in. He just came through and he said hello and yeah, I was a little - I swooned a little, I guess you could say. I was a little smitten, yeah.
What was your first splurge after making it big? Did you go out to Ponderosa for a steak dinner?
I think I bought a nice coat. It was a really ridiculously expensive coat. But I don't throw money around.
Are you going back to bed now?
I don't know. Riley's still sleeping, so maybe I'll try to get a few more winks in. But I have rehearsal today in a couple hours, so maybe I'll get up and go work out or something.
Good for you.
