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“I didn’t want kids. I had no vision of having kids at all,” Wanda Skyes said in a 2019 interview with NPR’s Fresh Air. But after meeting her future wife, Alex Niedbalski, the comedian’s outlook on family changed completely. Wanda and Alex married in 2008 and welcomed fraternal twins, Olivia Lou and Lucas Claude, in 2009.
“All are happy and healthy at home,” Wanda’s rep said in a statement at the time, per TODAY.
Since then, Wanda has fully embraced motherhood, even though she once never imagined herself becoming a parent. Recalling early conversations with Alex, Wanda told Fresh Air that her future wife made it clear from the beginning that she wanted children. Wanda initially asked for time to think about it, explaining that if motherhood was not for her, the relationship would not continue. But before those six months were even up, Wanda said she realized, “Why wouldn’t you want to start a family with this person?” She later called becoming a parent “the best decision” she’s ever made.
In the years since, Wanda has often incorporated stories about parenting into her stand-up routines while balancing family life with her busy Hollywood career. Though she and Alex keep their children largely out of the public eye, the Emmy-winning comedian has continued sharing occasional insights into life with their twins.
Here’s what to know about Wanda and Alex’s kids.
Olivia Lou Sykes
Olivia was born on April 27, 2009. She came in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and was 19-inches long. Alex gave birth to both children, and she and Wanda have raised them together.
Over the years, Wanda has occasionally opened up about parenthood in interviews and comedy specials, often joking about the realities of raising twins while balancing a busy entertainment career. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Wanda candidly admitted that parenting and remote work left her feeling exhausted while filming and producing projects from home.
“I’m tired. I’m just tired. I don’t know where the day goes,” she told The Hollywood Reporter at the time while working on Netflix’s The Upshaws. Wanda joked that she had become “the cafeteria lady, the janitor, and the hall monitor” while managing life at home with Alex and the twins.
Now teenagers, Olivia and Lucas recently made headlines after Wanda joked in interviews that the twins wanted Instagram accounts and driving lessons for their 16th birthday. Wanda admitted she was hesitant about social media and teased that she refuses to get in the car while the teens practice driving. She has also frequently shared that her children are bilingual and speak fluent French thanks to Alex’s background.
Lucas Claude Sykes
Olivia’s twin brother, Lucas, was born on the same date – April 27, 2009 – and was 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and 20 inches long.
Over the years, Wanda has occasionally shared funny and candid stories about motherhood, including the challenges of parenting twins during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2020, Wanda explained how she and Alex balanced working from home while helping their children with remote learning and trying to maintain a sense of normalcy.
Wanda has also frequently joked about being “the minority” in her own household because her wife and children are white, while emphasizing that appearance never mattered when it came to building their family. During a 2019 NPR Fresh Air interview, she explained that she never felt her children needed to physically resemble both parents in order to feel connected to them.
“Of course, you want the kids to look like you. Why not? You earned it. Go for it. And also, I was like, you know, why do the kids have to – need to look biracial to mirror us?” Wanda told NRP. “Like I said, we’re two women. We can’t make a baby. So their skin color, to me, didn’t – wasn’t, like, you know, something that I needed to feel like they’re my kids. You know, they are my kids, and they identify us as the French mom and the English mom.”
Wanda also said that motherhood has been a blessing, mainly because it “takes you out of yourself, you know? Just to be able to just love something so much and just want to be there and take care of them and not worry about yourself,” per NPR. “It’s just good to know that I have that capability. You know, it’s like, ‘oh, I could do this. I thought I was so self-absorbed, but this is – wow. Look at me. Look at me, parenting and being caring about something else, you know, other than myself.’ Yeah, it’s just beautiful. “
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