If You Still Don’t Get Ziwe, Big Sis Wanda Does
We can’t believe there are people who still don’t get Ziwe or her comedy. Girl had us dying — and had Big Sis Wanda Sykes dying right along with us.
Ziwe has dropped her latest interview with comedy legend Wanda Sykes, and it is truly a rollercoaster of hilarity and then some. The unforgettable, LOL-awkward questions are all there, delivered with that superb deadpan that makes a perfectly normal setup suddenly veer somewhere it absolutely should not be going.
And that is thee joke. Ziwe isn’t conducting a conventional celebrity sit-down and accidentally making things uncomfortable. The discomfort is the scene. She hands her guest a ridiculous premise with a completely straight face, waits for them to realize where she has taken them, and then refuses to rescue anybody from it. Wanda gets it almost immediately — which is exactly why this one becomes so damn funny.
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First Things First: Wanda Would Prefer “Big Sis”
One of the earliest little gems comes when Ziwe asks when Wanda knew she had transitioned from America’s sweetheart to America’s “auntie.” Wanda is not quite ready to accept that title from everybody. If you’re around 50? Absolutely not. Her preferred alternative: “Big sis.”
So yes, Big Sis Wanda it is.
The interview keeps escalating from there. Ziwe asks whether Wanda feels pressure to speak for short women, gets her to declare that she could beat Kevin Hart in a fight, then calmly pivots into sexuality, politics and the anatomy of why Wanda is perfectly happy never seeing certain parts of a man again.
When Ziwe asks Wanda to tell the people watching at home that their balls are disgusting, Wanda actually does it. Ziwe’s immediate response? “Wow. Body shaming.” That tiny reversal is pure Ziwe: invite the guest onto the ledge, then act shocked that they went there.
Harriet Tubman, Rush Limbaugh and One Very Long Trap Door
Ziwe then reminds Wanda that she became the first Black woman and first openly gay person to host the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2009 before asking how she would explain today’s political news cycle to Harriet Tubman. Wanda’s answer is less an explanation than an escape plan: she would ask Tubman to take her with her and show her the way to freedom.
That sets off one of the interview’s running jokes, because Ziwe keeps bringing Miss Tubman back whenever Wanda needs saving.
Then comes a beautifully ridiculous attempt to revisit Wanda’s famous 2009 Rush Limbaugh material. Wanda tries to explain the setup and context behind the old punchline. Ziwe listens — and immediately asks whether there are other circumstances where Wanda supports violating the Geneva Conventions. Wanda can only laugh at the framing and eventually decides she is standing by the joke.
The Interview Gets Even Funnier Once Wanda Starts Fighting Back
This is the part we wish more of the quick write-ups were talking about. Wanda does not sit there helplessly being “got” by Ziwe. She starts pushing back, correcting the premises and throwing jokes right back — which only gives Ziwe more material.
When Ziwe tries to turn Wanda mentioning Amy Schumer into a full-throated endorsement of Amy Schumer and Bill Cosby, Wanda immediately protests: “That is not what I said.” Ziwe, naturally, behaves as though the endorsement is practically complete.
Later, while talking about Wanda’s dramatic role in The Undercard and her boxing training, Ziwe demonstrates a punch. Wanda corrects her form — only for Ziwe to observe that Wanda seems very comfortable miming a punch directly at her. Wanda cracks up. Trap door. Again.
Then Ziwe Makes Wanda Defend Her Fat Roll’s Name
One of our favorite stretches comes much later, when Ziwe brings up Wanda naming her fat roll Esther in her comedy special. Why, Ziwe wonders, does the fat roll have to be a woman? Wanda’s answer is simple: because it is on her body.
That should be enough. It is not enough.
Ziwe begins interrogating the names of other people’s fat rolls and asks whether they are all white women because examples like Emma and Suzie keep coming up. Wanda says she had a beloved Aunt Emma who has passed away. Ziwe fires back that everybody dies and Wanda’s aunt is not special.
And THAT is where Big Sis Wanda starts losing it. She calls Ziwe nuts. Then insane. Then wonders whether the paint on the set is wet and Ziwe has been sniffing it. Ziwe responds, with all the wounded dignity she can summon, that “we don’t diagnose strangers anymore.” Wanda is not moved.
It is one of the best demonstrations of the whole format because neither woman breaks the game. Wanda knows Ziwe is being absurd. Ziwe knows Wanda knows. The comedy is watching them keep building anyway.
“Take That Cat for a Walk” Somehow Becomes the Compromise
Another bit that deserves more attention comes when Ziwe asks Wanda, who has spoken about feeling sexy after menopause, to deliver some encouragement to the aunties at home. Ziwe’s preferred phrasing is far more explicit than Wanda is willing to repeat.
So the two negotiate.
Wanda eventually lands on “Take that cat for a walk” and “Let that kitty purr.” Ziwe accepts the compromise. Somehow, after 20-plus minutes of psychological warfare, diplomacy is achieved.
And because Ziwe can never leave a completed joke alone, the euphemism comes back again minutes later while the two try to make sense of internet slang Wanda has never heard of. Wanda is snorting by this point. So were we.
The Ending Is the Proof That Wanda Was Completely in on It
Near the end, Ziwe asks Wanda how she thinks the interview went. Wanda calls it “painfully painful.” Ziwe says she had a pleasurable afternoon. Wanda immediately objects to the wording. The table is once again in theoretical danger.
But once the formal interview is over, the real payoff arrives. Wanda tells Ziwe, “That was fun.” Ziwe asks whether she is nuts or a delight. Wanda answers: “Both.”
Then Ziwe apologizes for making fun of Wanda’s dead aunt and Wanda breaks all over again.
So yes, we remain confused by anybody watching Ziwe and deciding the joke is that she simply asks “bad” or “offensive” questions. The real fun is in the construction, the escalation and whether the guest knows how to volley. Wanda Sykes absolutely knows how to volley. By the end, Big Sis is exhausted, laughing and still sitting there — exactly where Ziwe wants her.
Watch Ziwe’s Full Interview With Wanda Sykes
Watch the full conversation below, including the Harriet Tubman escape plan, the Black-friends interrogation, Wanda’s fight with a comedy ranking, the Aunt Emma disaster and the post-interview moment that proves these two knew exactly what they were doing.
Source: Ziwe / YouTube.
