Roy Norris Wood Jr.[1] (born December 11, 1978) is an American stand-up comedian and actor who first became well known for his correspondent appearances on The Daily Show.
After graduating from Ramsay High School in 1996, Wood began his career in stand-up comedy as the opening act for Tommy Davidson.
Wood was honored at Entertainment Weekly's "12 Rising Stars of Comedy" in 2008 and the 2010 Florida A&M University Young Alumni Awards.
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).
[9] While in college, Wood worked as a morning news reporter for Birmingham, Alabama, radio station WBHJ 95.7 Jamz Hot 105.7.
[11] Wood recalls that he passed on his midterm tests, essentially failing the semester, in order to open for Tommy Davidson.
[13] 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.
[6] Wood released three prank call CDs: My Momma Made Me Wear This (2003), Confessions of a Bench Warmer (2005), and I'll Slap You to Sleep (2007).
[17] 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.
It is loosely inspired by a 1998 experience Wood had as a 19-year-old college student, when he was arrested for stealing $400 to $500 worth of blue jeans and was sentenced to probation.
[5][22] 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.