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Piers Morgan Live

Interview with Rudy Giuliani; Interview with Wanda Sykes.

Aired June 02, 2011 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

PIERS MORGAN, HOST: Tonight, logjam in New Hampshire.

Mitt Romney makes it official.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you.

I'm Mitt Romney. I believe in America and I'm running for president of the United States.

(CHEERS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Did Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani steal his thunder?

I'll talk to Rudy about the state of the Republicans, what's really going on with the curious case of Weiner-gate and the economy.

If you expect Wanda Sykes to keep her opinion to herself -- well, you don't know Wanda Sykes. But you will after tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WANDA SYKES, COMEDIAN: You thought I had a big mouth before. Now, it's just crazy. I'm like over the top, you know, there's nothing that I can't say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: She's not afraid of anything or anybody. And tonight, she's letting loose on politics --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYKES: We didn't get bin Laden until after he repealed "don't ask, don't tell" -- just saying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Marriage --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: But you've been married to a man and a woman.

SYKES: Not at the same time.

MORGAN: No.

SYKES: We don't want to start rumors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: To President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYKES: I think Michelle must be growing some weed in that herb garden and that's how he is staying so relaxed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Also tonight, I'm going to finally do something I've been wanting to do for years, spend the evening with Christy Turlington. She is iconic supermodel, a woman with brains to match her beauty. And she's got a great story to tell. Tonight, she'll tell it to me.

This is PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT.

(MUSIC)

MORGAN: Good evening.

Mitt Romney officially threw his hat in the White House ring today and told a New Hampshire crowd what he thinks of President Obama. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: When Barack Obama came to office, we wished him well and hoped for the best. Now, in the third year of his fourth year term -- or his four-year term, we have more than slogans and promises to judge him by. Barack Obama has failed America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Joining e now on the phone is a man who might just be Mitt Romney's rival fore the Republican nomination, Rudy Giuliani.

Rudy, how are you?

RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER NYC MAYOR (via telephone): How are you, Piers?

MORGAN: I'm good.

You've all ended up in New Hampshire at the same time. The conspiracy theorists are having a field day that as Mitt Romney finally announced he is running for the presidency, two of his big rivals pitch into town as well. Was that coincidence?

GIULIANI: It was. Absolutely. I was (INAUDIBLE) going to give a speech tonight, the Republican fundraiser in Dover, Massachusetts, with the chairman of the Republican Party and didn't know that Romney was going to announce today. So, that part was just pure -- that was just pure coincidence.

MORGAN: I mean, Mitt Romney said today that he pledged to bring this country back. He says he's the best candidate to turn around the unstable U.S. economy. You know him best.

Is he the best candidate for this job, do you think?

GIULIANI: Well, we're going to have to see. My objective is to see that a Republican president is elected in 2012 because I do not think we can sustain another four years of Obama's handling of our economy.

I think that the numbers yesterday are just another indication of the fact that he has been a failure in guiding our economy. He's been in office now 3 1/2 years, three years -- rather, three years. And the reality is, he's still blaming everything on George Bush and that's, of course, ridiculous. I mean, if I -- if three years into being mayor of New York City, if I was still blaming things on my predecessor, they would have thrown me out of office.

MORGAN: I mean, what --

GIULIANI: Nine percent of unemployment is a disaster for this country. (INAUDIBLE) sustained period. That he's allowed that to continue and he's making all of the wrong decisions about our economy and we need to -- we need to change direction very quickly.

MORGAN: Rudy, one of the strange things that I've thought about Mitt Romney's speech was the way he accused President Obama of being too European. And as a European, I find that quite offensive, actually.

(LAUGHTER)

GIULIANI: I don't know if -- I think he accused him of being too European. I think he's just made big mistakes.

The reality is that the government in England has a much better direction right now than the government in the United States. I'd be kind of satisfied --

MORGAN: Rudy, do you -- do you believe, Rudy -- sorry. Do you believe, Rudy, that the election would be won or lost now on the economy? Given the data that is coming out in the last 48 hours about jobs, about house prices and so on, do you believe now that this will be determined, as it often is, about the economy?

GIULIANI: Yes. I remember being on your show a couple weeks ago about bin Laden, I said laudatory (ph) things about Obama and the way he handled the bin Laden situation. I still feel that way and still feel indebted to him for the way that he handled the bin Laden situation.

But I think I said then that most American elections are decided by the state of the economy. And we have had very few presidents that have had as poor of a record as this president has had in guiding the American economy. It's not just a high level of unemployment. It's how long it has been sustained.

And it's his unwillingness to do the things that have to be done to reinvest in the private economy. We're not going to grow jobs by building up the government. We have to build up the private sector. There -- that's the place we employee people and he doesn't seem to understand that. And his whole resistance in dealing with Congress and what they want to do is really very damaging.

We should lower the corporate tax so we bring a lot more of that corporate money back into the United States. We should reduce the burden, some level of regulation on American business. We should encourage money that is abroad to come back to the United States and reinvest in the United States.

These are the big things that have to be done to grow jobs in this country. The president's extreme anti-business posture makes it impossible for us to have the kind of recovery that we should have.

MORGAN: Rudy, a recent CNN poll shows that you are the leading GOP candidate. You're at 16 percent, Romney, 15 percent and Sarah Palin, 13. Obviously, you and Sarah Palin haven't decided where you're going to run.

Is the time coming when you need to say yes or no?

GIULIANI: Sure. But the reality is, as this race is developing much later than ever before. I think that's good, because when you make a decision, you're closer to knowing what the real issues are going to be. And from my point of you, I want to see how the field develops and if one of the candidates that been running convinces me that they can do as good or better of job at winning, then there would be no reason for me to run.

But if I think I'm the one that has a best chance of winning, then I would make the decision to do it.

MORGAN: There are reports today that Paul Ryan may be considering a run. Donald Trump is pretty skating about him and his budget plan on my show yesterday. What would yours be?

GIULIANI: I have a different view than Donald. Donald is a very good friend and I'm one of the people that really enjoyed Donald being in the race, and thought it was good for the Republican Party to have Donald in the race because he can -- he can get attention for the race that just about nobody else can, and he's got a lot of very good ideas.

I think he's wrong about Paul Ryan. I think somebody needs to put Medicare and Medicaid on the table. We are being bankrupt by the cost of health care in our country. It is the main reason why our cities and states are in the condition they're in because they can't afford the cost of the rising expenses of health care.

And at some point, there isn't going to be Medicare and Medicaid if we don't fix it. And that's all Paul Ryan is saying. You don't have to agree with

(CROSSTALK)

MORGAN: Rudy, if I can move you to Sarah Palin. She's obviously the big celebrity card here -- potentially the one that everyone it most excited by, because of the way that she conducts herself. You're being quite in the past to saying that if she does run, it could jeopardize the Republicans' chances of winning an election. Do you stand by that now?

GIULIANI: No, I never said that. I don't -- I don't think that Sarah Palin would jeopardize the Republican chance of being elected. I think that -- I don't know that she would be the best candidate to win for the Republican Party, but I think her presence in the race would be a good thing because I think she has a lot of good ideas. And the reality is --

MORGAN: Would you ever consider running with her, Rudy?

GIULIANI: I wouldn't consider running with anybody at this point. I wouldn't even think about it. I'm trying to decide whether -- I'm trying to decide whether to run at all. And I'm -- it's hard enough trying to figure that out.

I think the more people involved in this primary, the better. I have said that in the past, that I thought the more people involved, the more likelihood it is that I would run, that I would run.

But I think Sarah Palin is a good -- is a good influence on the party. I don't know that she would be the right candidate for president, however.

MORGAN: Let's turn briefly to Weiner-gate, this extraordinary story involving Anthony Weiner. Let's take a sound bite from what he said today, Rudy, and then I'll ask you for reaction to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: Is this a good spot?

OK. Good morning. Yesterday, from 1:00 to almost 10:00, I sat down and did interviews with anyone that wanted questions and answered questions extensively. I made it very clear I did not send a picture, that my Twitter account had been hacked. And this prank has apparently been successful.

But after hours, almost 11 hours of answering questions, any that anyone wanted to put -- today, I'm going to have to get back to work, doing the job that I get paid to do. So I appreciate your patience and understanding. And if I can make you more comfortable while you're sitting out here in the hallway, please let me know. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: I mean, Rudy, I mean, I've seen him talked for 10 hours yesterday. I mean, with every hour that went by of this tortured explanation, he seemed to get messier and messier. What is going on here, do you think?

GIULIANI: Well, I know Anthony from the time that he was a city council member and I was a mayor back in 1994. And I always thought of him as one of the more arrogant members of the city council, and I think he's not -- he's fulfilling all the promise I saw him in him as a young member of the city council. This guy is out to lunch somewhere. I mean, he's living on mars.

First of all, he didn't answer the questions yesterday. That's part of the drop-ball (ph). He double talked and didn't answer the question.

I mean, I've spent a lot of time as a trial lawyer cross- examining people and I always enjoyed cross-examining politicians because they can't answer questions. And, I mean, he can't remember whether he took a picture? Come on, give me a break. How many times did he take pictures like that that he can't remember whether he took it or not?

MORGAN: That's the point. Either he's taken --

GIULIANI: Maybe there are thousands of pictures of him --

(CROSSTALK)

MORGAN: On which case, his positions are untenable, or he doesn't recognize himself in that situation.

GIULIANI: Right. Because he's taken that picture so often? I mean, you know, the whole explanation is totally absurd. And if he's been hacked, as a congressman, he has a responsibility to report that to the FBI.

Hacking is a serious federal crime particularly if you're a congressman. He's not just a private person. This isn't you and me. You know, we have private account. We don't have public responsibility right now.

MORGAN: Let's turn, Rudy, to Chris Christie briefly. He's repaid the money for a helicopter trip that he took, as governor, to watch one of his sons play baseball. Was he right to do that?

GIULIANI: First of all, I think they had every right to take them to the baseball game. When you look at the history of the way in which New Jersey governors have used that helicopter, he has used it less frequently than any New Jersey governor.

I mean, the reality is that we live in a time in which we're picking apart every single thing that people do. He's an enormously busy man. They have to protect him.

And the helicopter has got to be up in the air for a certain amount of time any way. So, the thing would have been flying. But I think he probably did that just to avoid a political problem, but I don't see anything wrong with what he did.

MORGAN: Rudy Giuliani, as always, fascinating. Thank you very much, indeed.

GIULIANI: Thank you. Take care, Piers.

MORGAN: On M night, my one on one with Mitt Romney on his campaign, the economy, health care, and his Republican rivals. That's Mitt Romney exclusively for the hour only on PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT.

And coming up, curb your enthusiasm. The always out spoken, always hilarious and slightly dangerous Wanda Sykes on politics, scandal, and celebrity.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYKES: He's an idiot. The president is on national TV apologizing for giving oral sex. He's an idiot. There are men sitting here right now who would gladly accept oral sex on national TV.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: The always outspoken Wanda Sykes on Comedy Central.

Wanda joins me now.

Wanda, how are you?

SYKES: I'm quite well, thank you. And you?

MORGAN: Well, I had all these sort of carefully choreographed questions for you -- the usual kind of stuff. And I thought, you know, Wanda Sykes -- what I really want to talk to you about is all these extraordinary sex scandals rocking this country right now.

We've had Schwarzenegger. We've got Weiner-gate, we've got the guy from the IMF -- everyone's at it. What's going on?

SYKES: Well, first of all, I just want to say I am very flattered that when it comes to sex scandals, that you thought of me because usually people don't go, Wanda Sykes, let's talk sex.

(CROSSTALK)

SYKES: -- usually don't do that.

(CROSSTALK)

SYKES: Let's do it. Let's do it.

MORGAN: Let's talk Weiner-gate first of all.

SYKES: Let's talk Weiner-gate.

MORGAN: What do you think of Weiner-gate?

SYKES: You know, first -- OK, here's the thing. The man's last name is Weiner so, you know, I kind of believe that he gets all the wiener jokes, you know? He's probably been doing this since fifth grade, sixth grade. People had been calling him wiener, look at my wiener, or something.

MORGAN: Do you believe it?

SYKES: I tweet now. I tweet, and you do get, every now and then, someone will, you know, send you something, "Hey, can you follow me, it's my birthday," and you go, all right.

MORGAN: But you don't tweet photographs of your private organs.

SYKES: Have you found any yet?

MORGAN: No yet.

SYKES: OK. All right.

MORGAN: But if you tell me you have (INAUDIBLE), question.

SYKES: No, no.

MORGAN: I mean, I would never do that. I mean, what made me laugh yesterday was when he suddenly said that he couldn't recognize himself in the picture.

(LAUGHTER)

SYKES: Pictures add 10 pounds. So, he was like, I'm -- that -- it could be. He was probably flattered like, I wish -- I wish it was mine but -- ooh, I don't know.

MORGAN: Are you ever shocked by the sheer volume of sex scandals of politicians in particular?

SYKES: No.

MORGAN: Why do they all do this kind of thing?

SYKES: Because they're -- one, they're people in power. And really when you want those jobs, it's not about public service, no. You want to get some action, you know, really.

MORGAN: And Arnold Schwarzenegger --

SYKES: Oh, my God.

MORGAN: -- who I like very much.

SYKES: Yes.

MORGAN: And I love Maria.

SYKES: We talking about his movies or as a person?

MORGAN: No. I'm talking about actually in movies, the person, all of that. I've known him quite a long time. He seemed a perfectly good guy. Even I was a bit shocked by the sheer scale of what was going on there.

Weren't you? I mean, it's an extraordinary story.

SYKES: It was very bold and, you know, as far as -- OK. In your house, you know, your maid and also, you know, he didn't use protection so it -- to me, it was just crazy.

So, I don't know. I'd just -- you know, you have Californians who want to know if maybe there was some, you know, misappropriation of funds that -- you know, that he used some money to cover some of this up. And I'm like, well, first of all, California's broke, so there really wasn't anything there for him to spend.

MORGAN: What is it about -- I mean, we've talked about men in powerful positions, but what is it about the risk taking that goes on, do you think?

SYKES: Sometimes I think that they want to get caught, you know. You go --

MORGAN: I wonder that sometimes.

SYKES: You do. You wonder --

MORGAN: It makes them kind of more interesting.

SYKES: Right. Or they want to see how far they can go, you know, without getting caught. I don't know. It's -- I'm too, like, nervous about jail and, you know, and my wife is real strong, you know. So I --

MORGAN: You've been married to a man and to a woman.

SYKES: Not at the same time.

MORGAN: No.

SYKES: We don't want to start rumors.

MORGAN: I don't want to start any difficulties here. But it's a very interesting perspective that you must now have.

SYKES: Right. MORGAN: I mean, what do you think of men?

SYKES: A lot of my good friends, they're men. That sounds like how people would try to say they're not racist. Oh yes, I know black people, you know. But no, I'm -- I love men. I do.

MORGAN: Because I've heard a lot of stuff -- with all these scandals recently I've got lots of women calling me saying, all men are the same. They're all basically horned dogs. Do you go along with that?

SYKES: No.

MORGAN: Do you think all men are susceptible to temptation?

SYKES: I think all people are susceptible to temptation.

MORGAN: Since you had your kids --

SYKES: Right.

MORGAN: -- your whole perspective --

SYKES: Yes.

MORGAN: -- on life completely changed. You don't really follow the news in the same way. You don't keep up with politics in the same way. You're completely consumed now --

SYKES: Exactly.

MORGAN: -- with something that you probably, before you had them, never realized would be so consuming.

SYKES: Yes. Yes. I mean, I was like a news junkie. But now, I have no idea what's happening in the world. Obama's still president, right? OK. All right.

MORGAN: What do you make of it? You were a big fan when he came in.

SYKES: Yes.

MORGAN: Obviously.

SYKES: Yes.

MORGAN: And a massive thing for America. I'll play your clip actually from the White House Correspondents' Dinner because you were very funny there. Let's watch this first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYKES: This is amazing, you know, the first black president -- I know you're biracial -- but the first black president.

(LAUGHTER)

SYKES: I mean, it's proud -- you know, you're proud to be able to say that. You know, the first black president, you know. Well, that's unless you screw up.

(LAUGHTER)

SYKES: And then it's going to be, what's up with the half white guy, huh?

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: How's he doing, the half white guy?

SYKES: I'm still rooting for the black president. I think he's doing -- I think he's doing a great job. I mean, I -- the thing is, people don't realize how screwed up the country was, you know? He pretty much pulled it out of the pits. And I think he's doing a great job.

I really don't know how he's maintaining his -- you know, his composure not like going off on people. Because you look at all the, you know, stuff that's been thrown at him, the criticism. I don't know. I think Michelle must be growing some weed in that herb garden and that's how he stays so relaxed. I don't know.

MORGAN: He's got a remarkably calm demeanor.

SYKES: Yes. He's very thoughtful, you know, and we're not used to that. We're not used to that. We're used to fly-off-the-handle, you know, crazy presidents. Let's just go blow stuff up, you know?

MORGAN: I mean, having said that, we have the big Bin Laden thing recently --

SYKES: Right.

MORGAN: -- which was an extraordinary moment for Obama because it was the first time really where he had gotten the right opportunity -- bang, and it worked. But if it hadn't worked, it could have been disastrous for him.

SYKES: Totally. Totally. But he made the right decision. He got the information. He had his advisers, the military, and he told them what was the deal, and he said, OK, let's -- let's do it.

But I want you to notice that we didn't get Bin Laden until after he repealed "Don't Ask Don't Tell" -- just saying.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: Do you think that America is more or less racist since it's had its first African-American president? SYKES: I think it's -- OK, I think it's less racist because we elected an African-American president. But I think now it's becoming more racist because we have an African-American president. So, it's like those people who are just inherently just are not going to like him and, they -- you know, they're just opposed to him because he's black.

MORGAN: That whole thing of the birther issue. To me, what really stung to me was this would never have happened with a white president. I don't care what they say.

SYKES: Never. No one's asked Newt Gingrich where he's from.

MORGAN: No one's ever asked any white political leader, where were you born?

SYKES: Where were you born, right.

MORGAN: So whether they intended it or not, the birther crowd, you know, I don't think Donald Trump's a racist for a moment, but I think a lot of people that latched onto that campaign was certainly bordering on racism, wasn't it?

SYKES: I would throw Donald Trump in there, too. I mean, I would. I don't -- because -- where else would it come from then? What is it -- what is it based on if it's not race?

MORGAN: Yes. I didn't like it. I thought it was distasteful, the whole campaign.

SYKES: Incredibly, incredibly distasteful. And it's just disrespectful just to the office and to the American people, I thought.

MORGAN: We're going to take a short break. When we come back, I want to talk to you about this claim you made that it's harder to be gay than black.

SYKES: We just lost all the black people.

MORGAN: We got all the gays.

SKYES: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYKES: It's harder being gay than it's being black. It is. There's some things that I had --

(APPLAUSE)

SYKES: -- there's some things that I have to do as gay that I didn't have to do as black. I didn't have to come out black.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: That was Wanda Sykes in the HBO special "I'ma Be Me"? Is that right?

SYKES: Come on, Piers. "I'ma Be Me." Come on, you can say it.

MORGAN: I'ma be me.

SYKES: There you go.

MORGAN: Is that better?

SYKES: That's better.

MORGAN: I'ma be me.

SYKES: I'ma be me.

MORGAN: That just doesn't sound right coming from me.

SYKES: You've made my life -- my career now. I got Piers Morgan to say, I'ma be me.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: Do you really think it's harder to be gay than black?

SYKES: Yes, I believe that. I believe that.

MORGAN: Why?

SYKES: But today -- now I'm not talking about the history of, you know, black people -- African-Americans. I'm talking about at this point right now.

MORGAN: Just right now in American for example -- harder to be gay in America than be black?

SYKES: Yes.

MORGAN: Why?

SYKES: Well, I don't know of organizations and groups, you know, like Focus on the Family and such -- you know, anti-gay organizations who are putting up so much money, millions and millions of dollars into stopping me from, you know, being black or telling me that I can't, you know, exercise my blackness or whatever.

So it is. I mean, there's no equality. There's no equality for the LGBT community.

MORGAN: You came out, it seemed to me -- correct me if I'm wrong here. I remember that moment as being the big moment, I think, for the lesbian and gay community in America because it looked like you had done it from a position of controlled anger. You were like, you know what, enough. I'm going to go and make my stand.

Am I right in saying that?

SYKES: Yes. I had no intentions on making that speech. You know, I was just there as one of the crowds to support. So I kind of shocked myself when I was in the middle of it. And it was -- it was from anger. | (CROSS TALK)

MORGAN: As you got up to make it, knowing what you were about to do, how did you feel?

SYKES: Um, liberated and also it wasn't an in your face. It was like, well, guess what. Oh, so you're going to vote -- you know, pass Prop 8 and people can't get married. We don't have any equality. I'm a second-class citizen?

Well, guess what, I'm going to put it right back into your face. And that's what it felt like.

MORGAN: What was the best and worst thing about coming out for you, when you look back over the period since?

SYKES: Best thing is just now that there's this -- not that I was hiding before, but now there is absolutely nothing to hide. I am what I am and this is it. Now -- you thought I had a big mouth before? Now it's just crazy. I'm like over the top, you know. There's nothing that I can't say.

The worst thing is just dealing with it -- you know, with family. And it's not necessarily a worse thing. But man, it's like every day I get invited to some gay event. It's like, can you come to this gay event?

(CROSS TALK)

SYKES: It's like, good lord. If I go show up at all of these gay events, I'm not going to make any money. I'm going to be a broke gay. I'm going to be the brokest lesbian out there.

MORGAN: You have been on Larry King's show last summer. And you sort of hinted that your parents had found it pretty tough to come to terms with. How are things now?

SYKES: Much better. Much better. Much better.

MORGAN: What has helped that process?

SYKES: I think time. Time and also maybe my attitude also, where it's more -- you know, more about being -- communication instead of oh, OK, here we go again, click. It's -- yes, I think it's just time. MORGAN: Because you told them over the phone.

SYKES: Right.

MORGAN: And then they were getting on a plane, which I thought was quite a good trick. Give them six hours to think about this before we have to talk again, right?

SYKES: There you go. Right. Right.

MORGAN: Were you very nervous about making that call?

SYKES: Yes. Yeah.

MORGAN: That's a big moment.

SYKES: It is a big moment.

MORGAN: You're in your 40s.

SYKES: You're in your 40s. I'm grown. That's the thing, once you're like, OK, I can take care of myself, you know, it gives you a little more wriggle room, I guess. It's not like they could kick me out of the house, you know.

MORGAN: Do you think either of your parents knew?

SYKES: They said they didn't. But I don't know how they couldn't, you know. I mean, I was a tomboy, I mean, a big tomboy. Just -- yeah. It was so funny, whenever I thought about kids, I always thought of it as if I did it that -- you know, I don't know where they came from, but I never saw myself with a man or husband, whatever, raising kids.

MORGAN: I would also argue that it's a more tolerant country now. I mean, the body of Americans are probably more tolerant now towards someone in your position who has come out than they would have been certainly 10, 15 years ago.

SYKES: I think we are moving in the right direction, definitely. Definitely. And I think this president is doing a lot to help that, with the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

MORGAN: He came out with a big statement in the last day, actually -- June, obviously, is dedicated, as he puts it, to gays and lesbians now. That's something you couldn't imagine a president saying 20 years ago. When he went through his point by point guide to how much he had achieved, what was your reaction, good and bad?

SYKES: Well, it was good. One, he's the president saying, hey, June is pride month. And we're going to recognize this. And he pretty much made a dedication. And it was like, hey, this is the direction that we're headed in.

And the part that struck me was where he said that to -- something about continuing to strive for justice and equality for all. To me, I'm happy with that.

MORGAN: Where has he been perhaps been a bit diffident, not gone far enough?

SYKES: Run that by me again? Diffident?

MORGAN: Diffident?

SYKES: Can I get a fancy book?

MORGAN: Hesitant.

SYKES: Hesitant?

MORGAN: Yes, where has he not been forceful enough? If you're being overly critical, what would you say is -- he could have been pushed a bit harder?

SYKES: I think he's doing it the right way. I really -- he's not going to defend DOMA. He's instructed the attorney general not to do that. I think he's going about it the right way. He's not ahead of anything, but he's supporting. I think he's going about it the right way.

MORGAN: Going to take another break. When we come back, I want to talk to you about comedy, what makes you laugh and what doesn't make you laugh. And what names.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYKES: Did it again, huh? So, what, the black man in a suit parks cars. Black man, no suit, he's going to steal your car? You saw the black man, you say, let me lock the car? You put the alarm on.

The black man made you -- going to let me lock my car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I just hadn't done it yet, that's all.

SYKES: Do you think a black man would want that piece of (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: That was Wanda Sykes on the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which is -- it was brilliant, anyway, and you're brilliant in it. It must be great fun to make, isn't it?

SYKES: It is. It's a lot of fun. I so enjoy it but I'm so like tired when I leave there. Because all it -- it doesn't take all day, but it's just there's no script. So your brain is just going memorizing lines.

MORGAN: Is it the ultimate test of a comedian kind of thing? It's like constant rolling improv, right?

SYKES: It is.

MORGAN: Who is the single funniest comedian you've ever seen?

SYKES: Richard Pryor. Yes. I would go see Richard Pryor on a bad day. I don't care. Yes. It could have been towards the end. I'd still --

MORGAN: And what made him such a genius?

SYKES: His humanity, you know. And also just the -- just little pieces. He would take things and just build this picture and it would put you right there. And with -- with like little movements, just slight movements. And when he was talking about the brother running from the police dog, and just that -- that move where he turns the hat. And he's just fascinating.

MORGAN: When you see Ricky Gervais or something like pricking all of the Hollywood balloons in spectacular fashion, do you think he goes too far? Where is the line, do you think, in that?

SYKES: I love Ricky. I think he's hilarious.

(CROSS TALK)

MORGAN: I'd rather see them do it to their face than, you know, be somewhere across the country doing jokes on them. To me, if you want to do a joke in front of somebody, that's like the best way to do it.

But you can't bring Ricky in and then not expect him to -- you know, to not be himself.

MORGAN: Seems like inviting a shark to dinner --

(CROSS TALK)

MORGAN: Yeah. Yeah. Why did the shark eat everybody? Because he's a shark. That's what --

MORGAN: What is the reward that you like most from the work?

SYKES: Laughs. Laughs. You know, I --

MORGAN: A live laugh?

SYKES: A live laugh. If I am doing a show and I get the big laugh, I mean, you know --

MORGAN: How is married life?

SYKES: Married life? Oh. Married life is great. I'm very happy. You know, she's great. You know, she's French, but I don't hold that against her. I get past that.

MORGAN: I'm married to a girl who is half French.

SYKES: Really?

MORGAN: Yes.

SYKES: Does she speak French?

MORGAN: She does, yes. She was born and raised in Paris. I read an interesting thing about you, that you saw her on a ferry in New York, and something happened in your head.

SYKES: I looked back and I -- she's sitting with some other woman playing with a kid. And someone said, Wanda, that's it. That's what you need. I didn't think it was her. I just thought maybe that situation. I need to settle down and --

MORGAN: You didn't talk to her on the ferry?

SYKES: No.

MORGAN: And then you met her where, at a party?

SYKES: I was walking along with my friend. And my friend -- and she was with a friend. And her friend, you know, they knew each other. So they stopped and talked. And they introduced us and --

MORGAN: Did you remember her from the ferry?

SYKES: No, but I was drunk. I was drunk when I first started -- having a few drinks. So -- and it wasn't until later that night when I saw her again and she walked by. And I went, hey, Frenchie. And she came over and we just started talking.

And it hit me. I talked to you earlier today. And it was like, you were on the ferry. And everything just made sense to me. Somebody up there was tired of seeing me screw up and get myself in a different situation.

It was like, let's just help her. Look, here, you go get her. Now leave me alone. Shut up. Be happy. Jeez. You're killing me up here. Come on.

MORGAN: And now that whoever that person was has stepped in, are you happy?

SYKES: I'm very happy. I'm very happy.

MORGAN: You look it. And it's been happy for me to meet you.

SYKES: Me, too. I've enjoyed this.

MORGAN: Thank you very much.

SYKES: Appreciate it.

MORGAN: You can see Wanda Sykes this Saturday at the Borgada Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. Wanda, thank you again. I really enjoyed that.

SYKES: Me, too.

MORGAN: Coming up, a beauty with brains and a story to tell. Christy Turlington, one of the great super models, joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: Christy Turlington Burns is one of the original super models. But not to rest on her laurels, she's now making her debut as a director of a documentary called "No Woman, No Cry." You can see it on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Christy joins me now.

Christy, how are you?

CHRISTY TURLINGTON, FORMER SUPERMODEL: I'm very well, thank you.

MORGAN: I interviewed one of your super model cohorts, Cindy Crawford. And I said, come on, Cindy, of all super models that exploded into the world in the '90s, who was number one? Who was what we would say -- this is not a derogatory term -- top dog? Who was top gun?

And she looked at me and she said Christy. She said you were the one. You were the number one.

TURLINGTON: I would say the same about her, actually. But we did meet when we were teenagers, you know, here in New York. And, you know, I think it does feel good. These are women that I grew up with. And it is nice to have the respect and the admiration of your peers.

MORGAN: You don't really like being called a super model, do you?

TURLINGTON: No.

MORGAN: Why not?

TURLINGTON: I don't know really what it means. I'm a fashion model and I still am.

MORGAN: But you're a super fashion model. You're all plunged into this different category.

TURLINGTON: It was an interesting time in the fashion industry, where I think it is hard to be a part of something that happened in pop culture, be able to comment on it, because we were a part of it and we were young and kind of gut sucked by the media. And I think we've made it a lot bigger deal than it actually was.

MORGAN: So explain this little set up to me. Your sister is married to your husband's brother. How did that happen?

TURLINGTON: Well, it's my older sister. And they met. She was separated from her husband when I started -- when I met my husband. MORGAN: You were first.

TURLINGTON: We were first.

MORGAN: You get together with Ed, who is the movie star, director, writer, all-around genius. You get together with Edward Burns.

TURLINGTON: Yes.

MORGAN: Your sister separates from her husband. Not at the same time. She already has. And then the rest of the Burns boys come into play?

TURLINGTON: Well, we did a lot of trips in the early couple of years that we were together, white water rafting and ski trips and different things. And they just got to be friendly and they started to become flirtatious.

Then we got married and then they decided then they were going to start dating. I think at first --

MORGAN: What was your first thought? Be honest.

TURLINGTON: Well, we were a little worried at first. I'll be honest. They know this. Only because if it didn't work out, we had a nice thing going with all of us doing things together socially. So I thought if it didn't work out, I would have to hate him. And I would have to beat him up.

Then my husband wouldn't be able to see his brother.

MORGAN: The pressure is on. You are going to have all stay happily married ever after. Otherwise, it's total carnage.

TURLINGTON: I know.

MORGAN: Christmas gets ruined, everything happens.

TURLINGTON: It's great. They have two children of their own. And my brother in law is visiting now with their son. So the kids are -- they're like siblings.

MORGAN: Ed is obviously hugely successful in the movie business. Now that you're a director, is he feeling a little bit threatened?

TURLINGTON: No. We make very different kinds of films. He was an amazing helpful, actually, when I was editing thing movie. He was helpful as a dad staying home with our kids while I was traveling around the world. But honestly, it was in the editing room that I think he was most useful.

And I really value his opinion and his objectivity and his take on drama and the arc of a story and story telling.

MORGAN: I think he's an incredibly talented guy. TURLINGTON: He is.

MORGAN: I mean, it's sickening that he's not only very talented, but he ends up with Christy Turlington. Life can be so unfair sometimes.

TURLINGTON: You did all right.

MORGAN: Yes, not too bad. Not too bad. But it's motherhood I sense when I read interviews with you that is the real passion of your life.

TURLINGTON: Yeah. I mean, the work that I'm doing now, I'm -- really most of my time is spent doing my maternal health advocacy work. It all happened because of my daughter. And something that could have been sort of an unfortunate experience turned out to be sort of a gift.

So I am really grateful. They're great. They're fun. I have a daughter and son. And they're so much fun. As they get older, they get funnier. Now I can sort of take them along with me on my adventures.

MORGAN: We're going to take a short break. When we come back, we're going to talk to you about your documentary and what it's all about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: Christy, your movie is called "No Woman, No Cry" and it follows the lives of at-risk pregnant women in four parts of the world. Why did you make this documentary?

TURLINGTON: Well, I had my first child about seven and a half years ago. And after I delivered Grace, I experienced a complication which was managed pretty seamlessly between my midwife and the doctor that backed her. But I learned in the weeks that followed hen I was trying to get a better sense of why did this happen to me, that that same complication was the leading cause of maternal death worldwide.

I think learning that, it just opened a door for me. And I wanted to know more about why women were -- I wasn't aware that women were still dying in pregnancy. Or if they were, I thought it was a very rare event. And then I discovered that hundreds of thousands of women were dying each year, a thousand women day, and that 90 percent of the deaths were preventable.

And learning that, it just pushed me to want to figure out why that was. And so I set out to make the film as a way to collect stories, travel the world, get a better sense of what those barriers to women accessing care at this critical time -- what they were, so that I could hope to lead towards some solutions.

MORGAN: Are you the director?

TURLINGTON: Yes, director, financier, producer, writer. MORGAN: Your other half, Mr. Burns, he is in the business, so to speak. But where did you get this skill?

TURLINGTON: Well, I can't say I have any training as a documentarian. But I have had the inclination and the desire to make a documentary for a long time. I think it was with this issue that made me think this was the time. I had the resources. I knew, because I got to travel to these rural communities around the world and see myself and meet the women themselves that I --

MORGAN: You went to Tanzania, Bangladesh, Guatemala and the United States. So a full cross section of the world really.

TURLINGTON: Yes, it's a global tragedy and I wanted to be able to show that. So Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of maternal mortality. But then Southeast Asia, and then Latin America, then the developed countries.

So I wanted to show that there are a lot of commonalities. This is a universal issue. But people have been most shocked, I must say, by the U.S.

When I show this around the world -- I showed it in France last week, and everyone is sort of scratching their heads with how few women have insurance, how much it costs to have a baby in this country. And it's important to make sure that -- I live here. I had my children here. I wanted to be able to shine a light here, because we're not doing so well.

MORGAN: What's the most important thing that you hope people take away from this film?

TURLINGTON: Well, that there's hope, that a lot of the solutions, we know what they are. We're not waiting for a cure. But political will is an important piece. We need the leaders of governments to prioritize this. If you don't focus on the mother and her children, the ramifications of that are significant in development, in society.

MORGAN: Tell me the name of your website.

TURLINGTON: EveryMotherCounts.org. And I have a campaign I started called the Every Mother Counts Campaign, which is a line to that MDG goals of 2015. And it's really a way to mobilize action in people. When they feel something about an issue, just to give them some opportunity so that they can feel they can participate and make a difference.

MORGAN: You went to college at 25?

TURLINGTON: Yes.

MORGAN: And you came out with an arts degree?

TURLINGTON: Yes, a liberal arts degree, but I focused on comparative religion and eastern philosophy. MORGAN: So quite a smart cookie, aren't you?

TURLINGTON: Well, you know.

MORGAN: People may be surprised by that.

TURLINGTON: Yes, maybe. It's funny. Cindy actually had said a long time ago -- she said, you know, models aren't stupid, they're uneducated. Because oftentimes we were, because we were starting our careers at 14, 15 years old.

I have since gone back to school twice now. I'm at Columbia University now and I'll get smart one day.

MORGAN: Dr. Turlington, then, it's been a pleasure.

TURLINGTON: Thank you.

MORGAN: That's it for tonight. Now here's my colleague, Anderson Cooper, with "AC 360."