Wanda Sykes never pictured herself as a mom. It wasn’t part of her plan, not something she daydreamed about. But life has a way of surprising even the funniest among us, and when she met Alex Niedbalski, everything changed. Alex, a French businesswoman, made her stance clear from the start—she wanted kids.
Wanda, always one to keep things real, didn’t jump in right away. Instead, she asked for six months to think it over. But before that time was up, she already knew. She wanted a family with Alex. And so, on April 27, 2009, their twins, Olivia Lou and Lucas Claude, entered the world. Olivia was born first, weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces and measuring 19 inches, followed by Lucas at 7 pounds, 9 ounces and 20 inches.
Wanda Sykes’ Precious Kids: The Twin Tornado That Changed Her Life
Life with twins flipped Wanda’s world upside down, but in the best possible way. She’s joked many times about the exhaustion, the chaos, and the sheer absurdity of parenting. In 2016, she admitted to Vulture that in those first sleepless months, she actually considered returning one. Of course, she was kidding—mostly. “At one time, I was contemplating taking one back,” she laughed. “I was like, ‘Can we return one? I mean really, oh my gosh. I was thinking we can’t do this, we’re going to have to take one back.’” But despite the sleepless nights, she always knew she had made the right choice. Motherhood was, as she put it, “the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Now, Olivia and Lucas are teenagers, and Wanda is in full-blown “terrified mom of new drivers” mode. During a March 2025 appearance on Today with Jenna & Friends, she made it clear—there was no way she was getting in a car with them behind the wheel. “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?” she joked.
While Wanda has always been private about her children, bits and pieces of their lives sneak into her comedy. One recurring topic? Their, uh, questionable gift-giving skills. On The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2016, she hilariously described the elaborate acting skills required to pretend she loved their Mother’s Day presents. “They’re 7, so to me, I’d just rather have a hug and a ‘Happy Mother’s Day!’ But when they’re that age—and moms know—you have to be a good actress. That’s when you gotta turn into Meryl Streep.” Her biggest revelation? There’s a reason athletes buy their moms houses when they make it big. “They really should, to make up for this crap!”
Having kids has changed Wanda’s comedic style, too. Before motherhood, she’d riff about politics, pop culture, and her own personal experiences. After Olivia and Lucas arrived, her material shifted. “Before, I would just talk about what’s going on in my life. Since the kids, it’s still the same technique, but a lot of it is about the kids and the family, because they just take over everything, you know?” she told HuffPost in 2014.
Another fun fact? The twins speak fluent French. Unlike their mom, who, as she puts it, is not exactly “parlez-vousing all over the place.” During a 2017 appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, she confessed that their bilingual skills sometimes put her at a disadvantage. “I can tell when they’re about to pull something over on me because they speak fast and in a lower tone,” she said. One time, she thought they were discussing breakfast, but before she knew it, she was sitting in a canoe in the middle of a lake. “I was like, ‘Okay, I’m with you—breakfast.’ Next thing you know, I’m in the water.”
Family First: How Wanda Sykes and Alex Built a Tight-Knit Home
Despite the language barrier, the Sykes family is tightly knit. The twins are close to their French relatives and spend a lot of time in France. Wanda, Alex, Olivia, and Lucas love traveling together, and in May 2024, they embarked on an unforgettable family adventure to Japan. Alex shared glimpses of their trip on Instagram, writing, “From the bustling streets of #Tokyo to the serene beauty of #Kyoto, c’était magique!”
Wanda and Alex have also made sure to instill a sense of social awareness in their kids. In June 2020, the whole family participated in Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd. Wanda later shared on Late Night with Seth Meyers that while Olivia and Lucas loved the marching part, their enthusiasm faded when the speeches started. “They were bored silly … We were hot, and I’m pretty sure my daughter faked heat stroke.”
Even so, Wanda has had important conversations with them about race and activism—though, as she admitted, it hasn’t always been easy. She once tried to discuss the George Floyd case with Lucas, and his response was, “Um, so what’s your favorite dinosaur?” Sometimes, she just has to let them be kids.
Raising twins in the middle of a global pandemic? That was a whole other challenge. In an April 2020 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wanda revealed that she had taken on unexpected new job titles: cafeteria lady, janitor, and hall monitor. “By the time they go to bed, Alex and I sit down to watch something and we barely make it through an episode of anything. We both fall asleep.”
Parenthood has been a wild ride for Wanda, full of love, laughter, and more than a few parenting fails. But through it all, she wouldn’t trade it for the world. As she told NPR, motherhood has taught her to be selfless in a way she never imagined. “It takes you out of yourself, you know? Just to be able to love something so much and just want to be there and take care of them and not worry about yourself. It’s just beautiful.”
