Roy Wood Jr., the man Forbes magazine once dubbed “one of comedy’s best journalists,” may or may not be anchoring “The Daily Show” by the time he performs at The Fox Tucson Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 22.
By then, the job may already have gone to fellow “Daily Show” correspondent Ronny Chieng, who performs at The Diamond Center on Saturday, Oct. 21. Both are contending for the vacancy left by Trevor Noah at the end of last year.
The air is turning crispy, and Comedy Central has said they would choose a new “Daily Show” anchor “in the fall.” Both Wood and Chieng have been in rotation with other contenders, regular “Daily Show” correspondents who’ve served as anchors in the interim.
Wood was philosophical last week. “Whether I get the job or not,” he said, “I’m thankful for the eight years I’ve had, and I look forward to whatever I’ll be building at the next place.”
But as he reminded us, Wood has always been much more than his “Daily Show” job. “I think the biggest thing to know about my comedy is that it’s my day job to talk about politics. It’s my night job to just make you laugh.
“Whatever you think ‘The Daily Show’ is, my live comedy is nowhere close to that,” he said, “and that’s by design. I’m able to talk about an array of things. So it could be love, it could be popcorn, it might be politics, it might not.
“I think at the end of the day, people want to laugh.”
Still, as a stand-up comedian, though, Wood inevitably relies on his education, and his background, to some extent. “I have a degree in journalism, and I do stand-up comedy,” he said. “This is literally the only place I can work.”
In April, he played to both his strengths as the host of the annual White House Correspondents Dinner. He scored the highest ratings for the event since Hasan Minhaj set the record in 2017.
Wood’s father was a veteran correspondent. “My father covered the civil rights movement and a lot of injustices,” Wood said, “not just domestically, but across the globe — civil wars in Africa, the Vietnam War — pretty much anything that went ‘boom,’ domestically.”
His inspiration to go into broadcasting, though, was Stuart Scott of ESPN. “He was one of the first Black news anchors I saw who was allowed to have a little more culture in how he read the copy,” Wood said. “The things he said, the way he said it, it wasn’t a traditional buttoned-down journalistic approach to sports.
“He sounded like me. He looked like me. So I wanted to do that.”
It was a college public speaking class that turned him on to comedy. His take on the assigned topics — uniquely twisted insights with a side of attitude — often made people laugh, he said, and he loved it.
He began performing comedy at age 19 in 1998. By 2006, he earned a slot on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Two years later, he appeared on BET’s groundbreaking “Def Comedy Jam.” Soon thereafter, he was a top-three finalist in NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” All along, he’s also been generating accolades for his movie roles and writing and production credits.
His first one-hour comedy special debuted on Comedy Central in 2017. His 2019 follow-up, “Roy Wood Jr.: Imperfect Messenger,” still reigns as the network’s highest-rated premiere.
When COVID-19 slowed the comedy business to a trickle, Wood amped up his philanthropic activity, supporting organizations that enrich lives and build employable skills among people with disabilities, provide tutoring for struggling students and offer services to address the school-to-prison pipeline by increasing literacy and cultural awareness among children of color.
Although he has stepped back from his streaming commitments to honor the writers and actors strike, he plans to continue his popular podcasts “Beyond the Scenes” and “Roy’s Job Fair.” The latter has an indelible motto: “Work is like sex or food. You’re either getting it or looking for it.” Episodes feature real people’s work stories, from the hilarious to the horrendous. Both podcasts are accessible via his website,
roywoodjr.com.
OTHER SHOWS THIS WEEK
Catalina Craft Pizza, 15930 N. Oracle Road, Suite 178, Tucson
8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, “Comedy in Catalina,” free; Amie Gabusi hosts, Autumn Horvat headlines, Magghie O’Shea features, Matt Ziemak, and Cory Lytle round out the lineup. Reservations recommended, 520-825-0140. Donations of nonperishable food and clothing are welcomed to benefit Impact of Southern Arizona.
The Diamond Center, Desert Diamond Casino, 7350 S. Nogales Highway, Sahuarita, ddcaz.com
Ronny Chieng, 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, tickets start at $40. He’s a star of “Crazy Rich Asians,” several Disney hit films, and senior correspondent on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”
Chuckleheads, 41 Brewery Avenue, Bisbee, chuckleheadsaz.com
8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, $10, chuckleheadsaz.com, $10, “Friday the 13th Comedy Show” with national touring comics Joey Gaynor and Franchie San Pedro and special guests Allana Erickson Lopez, Lisa Kristine and Jennifer Churchill.
Laff’s Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway Boulevard, Tucson, laffstucson.com
8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13; 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, $15, $20 preferred seating, Alex Duong
Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, Tucson, rialtotheatre.com
8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, tickets start at $41, Teo González, “El Comediante de la Cola de Caballo” (The Ponytail Comedian)
The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress Street, Tucson,
ladybitstucson.eventbrite.com
8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, $12 online, $15 door, Lady Bits with host Jen Blanco and Priscilla Harris, Holly Hilton, Allana Lopez and Roxy Merari
Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street,
Tucson tucsonimprov.com
$7 each show, $10 for both shows, same night, free jam. 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12. “Cage Match;” 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, Improv Jam; 7:30 p.m. “The Soapbox” with Judy Nealon Huch; 9 p.m. Improv vs. Standup; 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, “Your Favorite Movie Improvised” and “The Meeting;” 9 p.m. Spooky Season Double Feature
Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard, Tucson,
unscrewedtheatre.org
$8, live or remote, $5 kids. 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU); 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed with special guests NCT; 9 p.m. Uncensored Improv Comedy with house teams NBOJU (Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed), The Big Daddies and special guests NCT.
This article appears in Oct 5-11, 2023.
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