Wanda Sykes Continues Losing Her Mind, Says George Carlin, Richard Pryor Were 'Woke' Comedians

We often turn to comedians to distill the latest headlines, but that isn't always a safe bet.

Too many satirists care more about partisanship than punchlines. "Clapter" often rules the roost on late-night shows which, mercifully, have been shuttered during the writer's strike.

Does your average comic study political science? Are they well versed in all sides of the media landscape, at least enough to sniff out the truth from the lies?

Some can't manage that task.

Comedians do know comedy, though, having worked in stand-up for decades. They know tweaking a word, or even a joke's inflection, can turn a flat gag into a show-stopper.

Louis C.K.'s January appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience" proved that. Their banter on stand-up comedy is must listening for anyone considering their next open mic gig.

So how could a woman with decades of comedy experience not understand her own craft?

Wanda Sykes boasts an impressive resume, spanning movies, TV show and even a gig co-hosting the Oscars. Her salty style can be refreshing, and she's been on stage long enough to perfect her mannerisms.

Yet she, like many of her peers, has gone woke. That means she's less funny than she used to be, using her stand-up material to Send an Important Message rather than just make us howl.

Wanda Sykes Says Cancel Culture Isn't Real

Need an example?

Here's a bit from her upcoming Netflix special. She takes a Tampon out and waves it in the air.

“I welcome my trans sisters into the ladies’ room...Maybe you’ll make us do better, y’know?”

Crickets.

She recently opened up to various media outlets about her Netflix special, "I'm an Entertainer" and related topics.

She claimed Cancel Culture isn't real, it's merely straight white male comedians who suddenly can't tell the jokes they want to share.

“To me, the whole complaint about cancel culture is a lot of men – especially straight men – who are just pissed that they can’t say things any more, y’know? ... And it’s not like you can’t say these things. You can say them, but now there’s just consequences. So that’s why I say I can’t get cancelled. Only God can say: ‘All right, Wanda, that’s enough.’”

Tell that to Josh Denny, a comedian who has to hide where he's playing in a given city lest the Antifa mob threaten the owners to shut it down, or else.

Or Dave Chappelle, who was physically assaulted on stage for the crime of telling jokes.

Or Kvon, a right-leaning comedian whose recent Albany appearance required anywhere from 12 to 15 security professionals to ensure his well being.

(Sykes slammed Chappelle in a Variety Q&A for telling jokes about the trans community.)

She also told Variety that she's proud to be called a "woke" comic, and she even suggests some of the best stand-ups in western culture were cut from that same cloth.

It’s pretty funny. If you want to give me the label of a “woke comic,” that’s fine. That’s great. What makes me laugh is that they say that like it’s an insult: “Oh, they’re woke.” Thank you! Yeah, I read some stuff from time to time. Yeah, I know a few things. It’s not an insult at all. I mean, George Carlin, he was woke. Richard Pryor, woke. Bill Hicks, woke. It’s almost like they’re angry that we’re evolving. It’s sad, really. 

She's right about it being "sad," but not in the way she assumes.

Sorry, Wanda: Legendary Comics Were Not Woke

Carlin, Pryor and Hicks weren't woke. They leaned to the Left, obviously, but they challenged conventional norms and were fearless in their approach. They didn't self-censor, and they let their jokes fly, daring the audience to laugh or disagree.

These legends were comedy rebels who changed the game, in part, by refusing to accepted the approved narratives of the times.

Many wonder how Carlin would process 2023, and it's a great question. There's little doubt he'd be aghast at comedians being silenced by the woke mob.

How could Sykes argue otherwise?

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 21: Wanda Sykes is seen on February 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Hollywood To You/Star Max/GC Images)

One of many ironies from Sykes' press tour? She admits to censoring her material when challenged on it.

She recalls a joke about a slave getting hot flashes and how the bit killed on stage. One friend suggested it's not right to laugh about slavery. And, even worse, white people were laughing at a black woman telling that joke.

She never told it again. It's almost like laughs are secondary to a woke comic.

Sykes no longer thinks comedy is her prime directive. It's in her top 10, of course, but being woke means self-censoring challenging gags and restricting the kinds of material you can tackle.

No, Wanda, icons like Carlin, Pryor and Hicks weren't woke. Not in the least. Here's what Carlin said about naughty words and free speech in the 1970s that got him in hot water.

There are some people that aren’t into all the words. There are some people who would have you not use certain words. Yeah, there are 400,000 words in the English language, and there are seven of them that you can’t say on television. What a ratio that is. 399,993 to seven. They must really be bad. They’d have to be outrageous, to be separated from a group that large. All of you over here, you seven. Bad words. That’s what they told us they were, remember? ‘That’s a bad word.’ ‘Awwww.’ There are no bad words. Bad thoughts. Bad intentions.

You'd think a professional comic like Sykes would know better.