The funnywoman 'came out' publicly in 2008 after attending a gay rights rally in Las Vegas, and the 46 year old admits she spent years worrying about how to tell her mother and father the truth.

Sykes reveals she conquered her fear by making sure her parents were a "six-hour plane ride" away when she confessed her secret.

She tells newsman Larry King, "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. 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."

And Sykes admits her relatives are still coming to terms with the revelation.

She adds, "We're working on it... 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."