The specials will focus on topics of interest to LGBT voters, and will have panelists from both political parties. The first will air on Monday, September 10 and the second on Monday, November 5, the eve of the national election.

Sykes' stage credits include playing the iconic role of Miss Hannigan in Media Theatre's production of the musical Annie. She has won four Emmy Awards, in 1999 for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Special for The Chris Rock Show and three more (in 2002, 2004, and 2005) for her work on Inside the NFL. She is a popular comic, and received two 2010 Emmy nominations for her HBO special, I'ma Be Me.