Wanda Sykes Will Record an Hour For Netflix

On Wednesday Netflix announces Wanda Sykes will be recording an original stand-up comedy special for the streaming platform. The hour-long special will launch globally in 2019.

The new hour marks Sykes’ fifth stand-up special and first for Netflix. Sykes own production company, Push It Productions, will produce the hour.

Netflix must have upped their offer enough to make things right with Sykes. Her last hour, “What Happened…Ms Sykes?” premiered on EPIX in 2016. You might remember that Sykes had been offered the opportunity to bring her last special to Netflix but opted out when the offer wasn’t good enough, and went to EPIX instead. The revelation came out after comedian Monique made news complaining about being lowballed by Netflix. “Netflix offered me less than half of your $500k. I was offended but found another home. #EPIX.”

Wanda Sykes has been called “one of the funniest stand-up comics” by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Funniest People in America. Her three-decade career in comedy has spanned stand-up, television, film, animation, and production.

Sykes can currently be seen on ABC’S Blackish, which she was nominated for a 2017 and 2018 Primetime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.” Her previous comedy specials include the 2003 Wanda Sykes: Tongue Untied, 2006 Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired, 2009 I’ma Be Me, and 2016 What Happened… Ms Sykes. Sykes’s specials have earned numerous recognitions including Primetime Emmy nominations for “Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special “ and “Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special.”

In 2012, Wanda joined forces with veteran producer Page Hurwitz to form Push It Productions, a full-service production company dedicated to creating quality, comedy-based programming for network, cable, and digital outlets. Push It Productions first burst onto the scene by successfully reviving the NBC comedy competition Last Comic Standing, bringing in its highest ratings in 8 years. Since then, the company has landed projects with ABC, FOX, NBC, BET, OWN, and TruTV, including the award-winning, Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious, the critically acclaimed Talk Show The Game Show, and the recently announced series Unprotected Sets on EPIX.

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