Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
His ‘Daily Show’
Roy Wood Jr. brings stand-up comedy to West Siloam Springs
From sitting on the bench in high school to sitting at the desk on “The Daily Show” with new host Trevor Noah, comedy has brought Roy Wood Jr. a long way.
“They say certain stuff you’re just called to, and I really think that’s what this was,” Wood says by phone from a McDonald’s in New Hampshire, where he was covering the presidential primaries for “The Daily Show.” “I rode the bench a lot in high school, and there’s not a lot to do when you’re on the bench except to crack jokes to make fun of the other team. I took pride in it.”
Wood has made a name for himself in comedy with his appearances on late night shows, finishing in third place in 2010 on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and a spot on TBS’ comedy “Sullivan and Son.” In addition to continuing to travel for his stand-up, Wood joined the new “Daily Show” team as a correspondent in September and has contributed segments on the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March, the President’s final State of the Union Address and the issue of #OscarsSoWhite.
“It’s been a good ride so far,” he says of having Noah as a boss and host. “We’ve been able to experiment a little with some of the bits I do in studio and make them more fitting to my style of comedy. They’re a little different from what I’ve seen from other correspondents. [What I do on the show] is a pretty fair representation of my ideology and my comedy style.”
Wood says perhaps the most difficult part of joining “The Daily Show” was getting used to living in New York City, or as he calls it, “the weirdest roommate you’ll ever have.” Between touring his stand-up and his duties as a correspondent, Wood still spends a lot of time traveling the country, though. He says when time allows, he likes to go to a local diner to get a feel for the temperament of the people and to read a local paper in each city he visits.
“I just hope the audience takes away some laughs and a good time. I’m not here to change your world view. I share a few seconds of things that are important to me. But if I can make you laugh when you don’t agree with me, that’s an exceptional night. I’m just here to provide a few laughs and share my view of the world with you — and my frustrations about baggage claim. You know, the important things.”