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Artist, actress and reality TV personality Sidney Starr is making comedic history as the first Black transgender woman to appear on Nick Cannon’s Wild 'N Out. Currently in its 20th season, the game show series blends hip-hop culture with improvisational comedy.
Speaking exclusively with Gaye Magazine, the Chicago native calls her casting a “dream come true”.
“Nick I wanna be on Wild n Out”, she told Cannon after spotting him in a Chicago nightclub. Following their encounter Starr was instructed by Cannon to make a social media post announcing her intentions, ultimately acquiring a large response from fans.
“See you next season”, Cannon would subsequently comment under the post.
Still, in disbelief, Starr’s hard work soon paid off.
“Even then I wasn’t too sure that it was gonna happen”, she told us. “But two, three, months later his team reached out to me and we made it happen!”
Starr’s upcoming Wild 'N Out appearance bears more purpose than just the spotlight — she aims to change the transphobic narrative. While discrimination and insolent comments shouldn’t be taken lightly, Starr feels that in specific cases a joke is simply a joke.
“Me, I love to have fun and joke around. I love the man jokes sometimes, if they are funny imma laugh. It doesn’t always have to be a fight for our rights.”
With the transgender community being one of the most marginalized of all queer entities, the conviction to fight is nearly inescapable and has been ongoing for decades, yet some are deemed “too gay” —regarding their personality and appearance—by fellow queers. In another instance, the n-word started as a slur towards enslaved black persons and is now a term of camaraderie within the black community. Sometimes it’s not only what is said but also how it is conveyed, and by whom.
"The first female trans woman on Wild 'N Out is going to be great for the heterosexual world to see,” she exclaimed.
“Yes, you can have fun and joke around with a trans woman or a trans man without it being taken too seriously. That’s the problem I believe in our community, especially the trans community. We take things too damn seriously.”
Sidney Starr is also seeking a clean slate within the public eye.
“As you guys know, I have a very controversial past, and I’m striving for greatness as a young black trans-woman in this world,” she expressed.
Along with her success as an artist and actress, she also is infamous for other situations. In 2010, Starr made false claims of having an intimate relationship with St. Louis rapper Chingy. Two years later the rumors began circulating throughout social media and the music industry.
Starr would later denounce the claims and publicly apologize however the scandalous nature of the incident had already succumbed Chingy’s rap career.
In an interview with VLAD TV, Chingy admitted to losing a major record deal behind the false claims, as well as being hesitant about taking future pictures with homosexual individuals.
“I hope people view me in a better light”, Starr said. Sidney Starr also hinted at an upcoming appearance in a Tyler Perry production. Make sure to tune in to Nick Cannon‘s Wild n Out!