''I’ma Be Me'' is a stand-up comedy special written and performed by actress and comedian

Wanda Sykes Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on ''The Chris Rock Show'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, ''Entertainm ...

. The show premiered on October 10, 2009 on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller and was filmed in front of a live audience at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. The show was nominated for two 2010 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special and Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special. In a review of the performance Rip Empson of the Huffington Post says, “Sykes shows that her swagger hasn’t been slowed by maturity or motherhood."

Plot

Sykes opens her stand-up routine by discussing the United States’ “first Black President,” Barack Obama. She uses this discussion to bring up some of the stereotypes facing African-American people in the US. Sykes also talks about some of the rhetoric surrounding

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

, calling the media out for asking when they will see, “the real Michelle Obama,” the implication of which is that Michelle Obama's calm demeanor is an act to make her seem less stereotypically African-American. Sykes goes on to talk about some of the issues facing the President such as reforming health-care, national resistance to change, revamping education, immigration and racial injustice. In this way, Sykes’ comedy follows a very natural progression, centering on politics and flowing easily from one topic to the next.Sykes, Wanda. “I'ma Be Me.” Dir. Beth McCarthy. HBO. Washington D.C., 10 Oct. 2009. Television. Sykes then shifts the conversation to talking about some of her personal experiences. She discusses marrying her current partner, publicly coming out as a lesbian, and having kids, something that she had previously stated, on many occasions, was not something she envisioned for herself. She also talks about the aging process and the ways that her body has changed as she has gotten older.

References

Stand-up comedy specials and films African-American comedy films 2009 comedy films 2009 films Television shows directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller 2000s American films {{2000s-US-film-stub