Roy Wood Jr.

Roy Norris Wood Jr. (born December 11, 1978) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer who first became well known for his correspondent appearances on The Daily Show. Wood has been hosting the American adaptation of the news and entertainment panel show Have I Got News for You on CNN since September 2024.

A resident of Manhattan, Wood was raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and Memphis, Tennessee. After graduating from Ramsay High School in 1996, Wood began his career in stand-up comedy as the opening act for Tommy Davidson. He had a position as head writer on the WBHJ radio series Buckwilde Morning Show from 2001 to 2006. Wood has been featured on NBC's reality television series Last Comic Standing in 2010 and the TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son from 2011 to 2014. He formerly hosted two podcasts for Comedy Central: Roy's Job Fair and Beyond the Scenes.

Wood was honored at Entertainment Weekly'''s "12 Rising Stars of Comedy" in 2008 and the 2010 Florida A&M University Young Alumni Awards. From 2015 to 2023, Wood served as a correspondent for The Daily Show on Comedy Central. He hosted the fourth season of Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening from 2018 to 2019. In addition to his Daily Show appearances, Wood has starred in the stand-up comedy specials Father Figure (2017), No One Loves You (2019), Imperfect Messenger (2021) and Lonely Flowers (2025). He has also been featured in television series and movies.

Early life and education Wood was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York. His father, Roy Wood Sr., was a Birmingham, Alabama, radio broadcasting and journalism pioneer who covered the civil rights movement: the racism encountered by African-American soldiers in the Vietnam War, the Soweto uprising, and the Rhodesian Bush War, among other topics. His mother is Joyce Dugan Wood, a college administrator. His paternal three times great-grandfather, Sam Wood, was born c. 1790 in Africa. His half-brother is Roy L. Wood, a news anchor.

Wood attended Central Park Elementary and Center Street Middle School. In 2001, Wood received a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism from Florida A&M University.

Career Before Comedy Central While in college, Wood worked as a morning news reporter for Birmingham, Alabama, radio station WBHJ 95.7 Jamz Hot 105.7. He began focusing on a career in comedy after filling in for the station's in-house comedian, Rickey Smiley.

In 1998, when he was 19, Wood began his career as a standup. Wood recalls that he passed on his midterm tests, essentially failing the semester, in order to open for Tommy Davidson.

In 2001, after graduating from college, Wood returned to Birmingham and became the head writer/producer for the Buckwilde Morning Show (WBHJ 95.7 JAMZ), a position he held until 2006. and began hosting his own morning show, The Roy Wood Jr Show. The show garnered top ratings and won 'Large Market Morning Show of the Year' from the Alabama Broadcasters Association for several years.

From 2011 to 2014, Wood appeared on the TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son. He had a guest starring role in the first season, but was then promoted to series regular for the second and third seasons. Sullivan & Son was canceled in 2014.

In 2013, Wood's first stand-up comedy CD, Things I Think, I Think, was released.

In 2015, he was cast by ABC to play alongside Whoopi Goldberg in the comedy pilot Delores and Jermaine; the show did not make it beyond the pilot stage.

At Comedy Central In 2015, Wood joined The Daily Show as a correspondent. Wood has said that his background in standup coupled with his degree in journalism prepared him for the job. Wood said that his work doing guest roles in sports on ESPN and related companies prepared him for The Daily Show, giving him experience with acting, timing, and building characters.

In 2018, it was announced that Wood planned on shooting a TV show in Jefferson County, Alabama. The pilot, called Jefferson County Probation, started shooting in May 2019. As of March 2020, a completed pilot for the show, now called Jefferson County: Probation, was shot for Comedy Central, with the show in development. The show, created in collaboration with Aaron McGruder (The Boondocks), is about two probation officers in Jefferson County, Alabama.

In 2021, he was a guest on the PBS series Finding Your Roots, where he described how he unexpectedly got probation at 19 for using credit cards he stole while a mail sorter for the US Postal Service to buy fashion jeans, and where it was revealed that he was a distant cousin of Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis.

In 2023, Wood hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

After Comedy Central

On October 5, 2023, it was announced that Wood had quit The Daily Show and would not be returning as a correspondent.

Wood has been hosting the American adaptation of the news and entertainment panel show Have I Got News for You on CNN since September 14, 2024. He has hosted the British version once a year since 2024.

Wood's memoir, The Man of Many Fathers, was released in October 2025.

Honors 2008: Entertainment Weekly, 12 Rising Stars of Comedy 2010: Florida A&M University, Young Alumni Awards: A 40/40 Celebration

Selected publications

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2019 The Death of Dick Long Dr. Richter 2020 The Opening Act Gary 2022 Confess, Fletch Sergeant Inspector Monroe 2023 Urkel Saves Santa: the Movie Department Store Santa, Old Man Buechler (voice) Direct-to-video 2025 Love, Brooklyn Alan 2026 Outcome Post-production

Television

Web series Year Title Role Notes 2019–2020 The Coalition —TV short videos; also writer and creator

Stand-up specials

Writing

Selected discography 2003: My Momma Made Me Wear This CD 2005: Confessions of a Bench Warmer CD 2007: I'll Slap You to Sleep CD 2013: Things I Think, I Think'' CD