Roy Wood Jr. ACA Oral History, May 19, 2023.

In this nearly two hour interview with Roy Wood Jr., he reminisces about his sports idols, his childhood in Birmingham, Al, playing basketball and other sports at his house with the neighborhood children, his mother and how she kept him safe growing up, and his relationship with his father and his father's career as a war reporter and later a radio host. He talks about his father taking him to a Jesse Jackson speech when he was young and how his view of politicians evolved. He also discusses single issue politics and how politicians are more concerned with their selves rather than making actual changes. He talks about being a political comedian and working on 'The Daily Show' with Trevor Noah and highlights moments in his career when he covered the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March and interviewing groups of black people diffusing gang violence. He also discusses performing at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and having to change his act moments before going on and about his speech as an homage to his mother, journalism, and his father's influence as a journalist. He also talks about other pivotal moments in his career, such as the Just for Laughs Montreal comedy festival which led to him performing on the Late show with David Letterman and helped him gain the confidence to go to Los Angeles. He also talks about regretting not going to New York first to gain more comedic experience to prepare him for Los Angeles and how experience helps you hone your craft and prepare you to talk with network executives. He also discusses pivotal people in his career, such as Steve Byrne who helped him get cast in his first show, 'Sullivan & Son,' and a friend who put him in touch with Jemele Hill and Michael Smith hosts of the ESPN show, 'His & Hers,' which led to appearing on Bomani Jones' show and other spots on ESPN. Using the ESPN platform he was able to promote his tours, and his work with the network also helped him to get his audition for 'The Daily Show' while he was on tour hosting Wendy Williams' comedy tour. Wood also talks about comedians and headliners who gave him tips along the way, such as William E. Gilmore when he was starting out and Michael Collins, Sean Jones, and Spanky Brown. He also talks about racism and hecklers at performances and how racism won't change until the people in power change. Additional topics covered include: Comedic Routine, Creative Influences, and Pivotal Career Moments. Eddie Brill and Jenni Matz conducted the interview on May 19, 2023 in Boston, MA at Emerson College.