The Return of Birmingham’s Roy Wood Jr.; Comedian to Host News and Comedy Series on CNN

If you’ve missed seeing Roy Wood Jr. on television, the wait will soon be over. The comedian from Alabama, formerly a high-profile correspondent on “The Daily Show,” is set to host a new series on CNN, “Have I Got News For You.”

Wood, 45, confirmed his new job on Thursday via social media, after reports by Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and other media outlets. “Mortimer …. we’re back!,” the comedian posted on Instagram, along with a photo referencing the story on Deadline. (With the “Mortimer” quip, Wood was referencing a line from the 1988 movie “Coming to America.”) “See you all Saturday nights on CNN starting in September,” he posted.

The show is CNN’s version of a popular British series, featuring two teams of panelists who answer questions about that week’s news. “Have I Got News For You” also relies heavily on humor, with the host and panelists relying on “comic observations from the satirical to the surreal through the lens of a news quiz show,” as Deadline said. Ian Hislop and Paul Merton are team captains for the BBC version, and Wood will be joined by two team captains for the CNN version, with names TBA.

Ten episodes are planned for CNN’s limited series, scheduled to premiere on Sept. 14 and airing on Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET. Episodes will stream on MAX the following day. Hat Trick Productions, the company behind the BBC original, is set to produce the new show for CNN Originals.

“For far too long immigrants have been coming to America and taking Black jobs, kudos to CNN and the immigrants at Hat Trick Productions for bringing a Black job to the States,” Wood said in a statement, poking fun at Donald Trump’s “Black jobs” remark during the June presidential debate. “It is an honor to be a part of such a hallowed British institution to help make sense of the American institutions of chaos, name calling, disinformation, reality television and the 8-hour news cycle.”

Wood has a new stand-up special for Hulu on his agenda, as well, with a taping planned in September at the Lincoln Theater in Washington DC., according to Variety. He’s also been writing a memoir, “The Man of Many Fathers.”

The comedian, who’s also a writer, actor and producer, spent eight years as a correspondent on “The Daily Show,” 2015-2023. He served as one of the guest hosts for the series on Comedy Central in April 2023, after host Trevor Noah made an exit in 2022. Wood initially was reported to be short-listed as a replacement for Noah, but he left “The Daily Show” in fall 2023, saying he wanted to pursue other opportunities and “whatever else the comedy gods may have in store for me in 2024 and beyond.”

Wood had another major showcase last year, as the featured entertainer for the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Headlining the dinner in D.C. is a plum assignment for any comedian, as the proceedings are nationally televised and often go viral in politics and entertainment.

Wood, who grew up in Birmingham, has been building a career in comedy since the late ‘90s, when he started working as a standup while majoring in broadcast journalism at Florida A&M University. During the early 2000s, Wood emerged as a quick-witted jokester making prank phone calls on radio station 95.7 JAMZ.

Wood’s resume also includes a 2010 stint as a contestant on “Last Comic Standing,” a role on the sitcom “Sullivan & Son,” appearances on late-night talk shows, comedy specials and albums, movie roles, podcasts and more.

Wood’s journalism roots run deep, as well. His father, Roy Wood Sr. (1915-1995), was a radio and TV journalist who covered the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and more. Wood paid tribute to his father with a Twitter thread in 2020 for Father’s Day, lauding his achievements and calling his resume in civil rights journalism “very unsung.”

Wood also hosted a 2024 podcast linked to his hometown, “Road to Rickwood,” exploring the history of historic Rickwood Field and the Negro Leagues in Birmingham. The narrative series from National Public Radio and Major League Baseball spanned five episodes, late May through mid-July.