*Wanda Sykes says raising her 17-year-old twins has taught her patience and the importance of accepting children where they are.
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, Sykes explained that she now focuses on “just watching them grow and just letting them be kids.” She said her biggest parenting lesson has been “patience and meeting people where they’re at.”
Her perspective marks quite a journey for someone who once didn’t expect motherhood to become part of her life. Sykes shares fraternal twins Olivia and Lucas with her wife, Alex Sykes. She previously told NPR that she hadn’t envisioned having children before meeting her partner. Marriage changed her outlook, and the couple welcomed Olivia and Lucas in 2009.
“I didn’t want kids. I had no vision of having kids at all,” Sykes told NPR. “And when I met my wife, she — that was her thing.” She added, “I quickly was, like, ‘You know? Why wouldn’t you want kids? Why wouldn’t you want to start a family with this person?’”
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Sykes also described starting a family as “the best decision I’ve ever made.”
In a 2014 interview published on HuffPost, she explained that her comedy once focused on what was happening in her life. Since the twins arrived, Sykes said, “a lot of it is about the kids and the family.”
The twins have stayed part of her comedy as they entered their teenage years. In 2025, Sykes joked about refusing to ride with them while they learned to drive. During an appearance on “Today with Jenna & Friends,” she said, “I’m not getting in the car with them! They don’t know how to drive! Why in the world would I risk all this to get in the car with them?”
As Olivia and Lucas edge toward adulthood, Sykes is stepping back and letting them set the pace.
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