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WANDA SYKES SPEAKS ON DR. LAURA COMING OUT AND MORE

Sykes on Dr. Laura, Coming Out to Parents, Tiger, More

*During an appearance on CNN’s “Larry King Live” this week, Wanda Sykes was asked about her take on a number of current hot topics – including the N-Word dust-up surrounding Dr. Laura Schlessinger.

Wanda said the most surprising thing about the controversy is that an African American was actually listening to Dr. Laura’s show.

“Black people don’t listen to Dr. Laura. That’s a white people thing,” she told King. “Dr. Laura is not even a psychologist, she’s not a psychiatrist … You make better time getting therapy from your masseuse.”

Sykes said she first realized she was gay in the 3rd grade, but kept it a secret from her family because she feared she’d be an outcast. Even now, her sexuality is still a delicate subject with her mother and father.

“I have parents who are still alive. So yeah … that’s why you suppress all that, you bury it, and to try to fit in,” she said. “I’m 46. … My father’s in the service. Right, retired colonel. So (I told them in) a long-distance phone call. We’re talking, like, coast to coast. You always want to give your family like a six-hour plane ride before they can get to you.”

Sykes, who came out publicly in 2008 after attending a gay rights rally in Las Vegas, says her relatives are still coming to terms with the revelation.

“We’re working on it,” she says. “They love me. … I know without a doubt, my family, they love me. And you know, we’re working on it. Keep praying for us.”

Sykes also gives her two-cents about the Tiger Woods divorce.