Comedian Roy Wood Jr.: Seriously Funny

Press Pause

When you stand on a stage — the President of the United States to your right and the Vice President to your left — with the most powerful and influential people in the world mean-muggin' you, it’s understandable that even the most seasoned comedian might get nervous. And, Roy Wood Jr. admits to it. But his mentality, during any performance, remains the same. “This is the job, these are the jokes, no one in this room can end my career,” Wood Jr. told Mark W. Wright on Press Pause. “Not being a good comedian one time is not enough to kill your career — so the more I looked at it like that, the less concerned I had with nerves.” Wood, who last spring headlined the 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner to its highest ratings since 2017, talked about his career journey after wrapping his seven-city Happy to Be Here Live Tour. Twenty-six years in the business has the Birmingham, Ala. native grateful to still have the opportunity to do what he loves. "I'm grateful and gracious," he said. "You can't control who your audience is. I just put out what I put out, and [to] the people who want to show up, thank you."