Roy Wood Jr. Explores Life Beyond 'The Daily Show'

2023-10-21 08:09:04

Roy Wood Jr. Is Looking Beyond ‘The Daily Show’

"So … it’s one of those scenarios!" he says with a laugh.

He spoke to Rolling Stone all about it.

I saw you were on the picket lines during the writers’ strike. What have the past five-ish months been like for you during the strike and how do you feel now that a deal’s been reached?
I’m happy that a deal’s been reached, and I’m anxious that the actors will get something really soon. I’m curious what 2024 brings. They’re going to have to pay more to make shows now, and I wonder if that’s going to affect the production budgets and the type of shows we see.

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I feel streaming was going to contract anyway and now the studios will use the strike deals as a pretense for cutting jobs and shows.
That’s correct. They took it from six or seven series regulars down to two series regulars. Actors will be getting more money, but now there will be four primary actors when there were eight.

How has the writers’ strike changed your view of the industry?
People said, “Content is king,” but now I think, “Audience is king.” The Pat McAfee deal with ESPN is a very telling sign. The writers’ strike forced a lot of people into looking at, “What can I do in the meantime till my job comes back?” And I think a lot of people are going to discover that they are happier doing other things than their old job.

Are you describing yourself there?
I don’t feel like that. They said Trevor [Noah] didn’t deserve it, and he proved everybody wrong. The network is going to do what’s best for them, and I respect that. My job is to be as good as possible. There’s also a world where I can create my own expansion team. I’ve never looked at the chair as anything that I deserve. I got eight years of, as Ronny Chieng calls it, the best job in comedy. As weird as it sounds, I am thankful. Because now everyone knows that I can do the thing, and there are many channels.

Did they tell you that you didn’t get The Daily Show hosting job?
When I saw the Hasan [Minhaj] stuff out, I think it was pretty clear that Hasan was the frontrunner. I haven’t heard that it’s for sure Hasan. All I’ve heard is that they’re still deciding.

You killed your guest-hosting “audition” and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and you’ve put in your time on the show. Do you feel like you’ve been treated fairly in this casting process? Do you think you deserve the job and did everything you could to get it?
I don’t feel like that. To quote The Wire, “Deserve got nothing to do with it.” They said Trevor [Noah] didn’t deserve it, and he proved everybody wrong. My job is to be as good as possible so that if somebody else needs a quarterback, they know what I can do. The thing that I’m grateful for is that I don’t ever need to question if I can do that job, because it’s a lot to sit in that chair. It’s given me a great deal of confidence. I’ve never looked at the chair as anything that I deserve. I got eight years of, as Ronny Chieng calls it, the best job in comedy. As weird as it sounds, I am thankful. Because now everyone knows that I can do the thing, and there are many channels.

I’ve never looked at the chair as anything that I deserve. I got eight years of, as Ronny Chieng calls it, the best job in comedy. As weird as it sounds, I am thankful. Because now everyone knows that I can do the thing, and there are many channels.

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I wanted to ask you about the recent New Yorker piece about Hasan Minhaj. He’s a former colleague of yours and a leading candidate to host The Daily Show. I’m aware that comedians stretch the truth in their sets, but this seems like something different.
I hope the lesson that Hasan learns is that when you stretch the truth for the sake of feeling, that’s when people start taking offense. I understand the integrity issue that people are bringing up with regard to Hasan and his stand-up. Comedy Central is between a rock and a hard place.

He flashed a blurry image of a woman during his special who he claimed rejected him for prom because of his race, she was identified from the photo [and doxxed], and it was revealed that that didn’t happen and she in fact had an Indian partner. Or his claim that he confronted Jared Kushner at a Time event for taking a chair reserved for a Saudi activist. Or getting sent anthrax and having some of it fall on his baby. It was a pattern of mistruths that elicited sympathy for him as the victim of racist behavior, or making himself out to be a hero in the case of calling out Kushner to his face.
A lot of what Hasan did put him at the center of things, which gave the appearance that he’s self-centered. The question is: Can you trust someone who views himself as that to host a news program? I think he would still be a perfectly fine host and a perfectly fine candidate to host The Daily Show.

Also buried in The New Yorker story was that Hasan had reached a workplace misconduct settlement with some female writers on Patriot Act.
But Comedy Central was still considering him for the job. I don’t think they would’ve taken the job, but is it enough to keep them from giving him the job? It looks like it.

I wanted to ask you about the way Trevor Noah left The Daily Show. He basically announced he was quitting and then stepped out with Dua Lipa.
He left at the right time, in hindsight.

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What’s a big lesson you learned from working with Trevor Noah?
Knowing when to leave. Just recognizing when it’s time for you to try and do something else. I need to take that time to home in on exactly what that is that I want to do.

Late night is now all white men. Why does it keep going back to that?
I do think now they’re going to use economics to justify cuts. I think women are in a really tough position.

Your mom was a college administrator, so I’m curious how you feel about the right’s bizarre war on “wokeness” in schools and their desire to censor African American history?
There are some people who should shut the fuck up.

Your father was a pioneering journalist who covered the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and a number of other big historical moments. What did he instill in you?
My father made sure everybody felt heard. I love talking with people and understanding the responsibility of a journalist. As long as I have that opportunity somewhere down the road, then I think I’m in a good place.

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What’s next for you?
My Comedy Central [first-look] deal died about a year and a half ago, so I’m a free agent across the board. I have the opportunity right now to talk to any network about any show. I’m open to anything. I don’t feel a sense of urgency with late night. What’s the right idea? And what will the market bear? It’s fun to have options.

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