Latest news with #RoyWoodJr.
Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Brownstein: Satirist Roy Wood Jr. will win hearts at Just for Laughs
Festivals By Roy Wood Jr. should touch all the bases when he hits Just for Laughs — both literally and figuratively. One of the sharpest satirists on the continent, the former Daily show correspondent and host of CNN's Have I Got News for You news-panel series is equally adept at discoursing on American political buffoonery as he is on baseball. Audiences may even catch him sporting his beloved Expos jacket when he takes to the stage hosting a Gala, July 25 at Théâtre Maisonneuve, or when he does his solo 'experimental talk-show,' Today, Tonight … Tomorrow, July 26 at Théâtre Ste-Catherine. Though a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, Wood can feel our city's collective pain on the loss of the 'Spos. He makes his living taking shots at the powers-that-be, but baseball remains his holy ground, and little is more sacred to him than the power of a home run as exemplified in his new TV special, Going, Going, Gone: The Magic of the Home Run, now streaming on Roku. Wood was in suburban Atlanta on Tuesday, both taking in the baseball All-Star Game in suburban Atlanta and commenting on the pure poetry of hitting dingers for the MLB Network. As always, Wood, who played some high-school and college ball, took his glove to the game — just in case. 'I love that old-school Expos logo and I'm also a big Andre Dawson fan,' says Wood in a Zoom interview, referring to the star outfielder known here as the Hawk, who spent most of his career with the Expos and Cubs. Wood, like many an up-and-coming comic, got his start in the JFL New Faces series in 2006 and came back a decade later to perform in another show. But this is the first time he'll do the fest as a solo artist. 'I felt that an Expos jacket as a non-Canadian would be the safest thing to wear,' he cracks, noting he purchased the jacket in — yikes — Toronto on a JFL tour — that didn't come to Montreal — two years ago. As a non-Canadian, he is also up to speed on the angst his president is imposing on Canadians with his ever-volatile trade tariffs. 'It's definitely a time now when as an American you're paying the price for someone else's policy,' he says, before jumping in with this chestnut: 'I just almost want that our voting results be made public so I could just go through Customs in the I-Didn't-Vote-for-Him Lane.' 'Regardless of what's happening on the federal level, Americans still have to pay close attention to state and local politics — when you look at the flash flooding that's happening in Texas that's taken over 100 lives. And when it's time to figure out who to blame, it's state and local … But I'm thankful to get up to Canada and argue with you guys about your politics,' he quips. Anything to get his mind off the current state of affairs back home. 'It's almost surreal what's happening now. You've got one group of Americans who are basically still celebrating the (Trump) win, but still can't really tell you what they won. There's another group of Americans still fighting it. And then there is a third group who are in their own Dystopian let-me-know-when-this-is-over type situation. It's like a roller-coaster … you've got people up front with their heads down and their eyes closed, and you've got people in the back hanging on for dear life. 'People who love Trump still love him, but we will still need more time on blowback of some of his policies. It will be interesting to see what happens with his cuts on Medicaid in the next couple of years, with his spending-bill cuts. I'm not calling it 'a Big Beautiful Bill.' That's part of the problem: Americans want to give everything a title to make everything more glorious than what it is. … Stop it. 'It used to be kick-ass to be an American … now you just have to tuck your head down and go whoops and say 'sorry about that.'' The good news is American political parodists have an abundance of fodder, and Wood's career has been going gangbusters of late. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that with his carving skills, Wood headlined the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2023 — under Biden as president — to its highest ratings since 2017. He also served as a Daily Show correspondent for eight years and later guest-hosted it for a period. Apart from his baseball special, he appears in the coming film comedy Outcome, alongside Keanu Reeves and Jonah Hill. And his book memoir, The Man of Many Fathers, will be released in October. 'That book is about all the dads who helped raise me after my father passed when I was 16,' elaborates Wood, the father of a 9-year-old son. 'We all encounter various people from whom we get our values. I don't feel our parents are exclusive instructors of a child's moral core. This is a collection of stories of random people, some of whom I can't even remember their names, and others like high-school coaches and Trevor Noah, all of whom helped me in one capacity or another. I'm just thankful to all these people who saw enough in me to take me under their wing. 'And I just want my son to learn and appreciate failure, because that is the key to success.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Roy Wood Jr. Mocks White House, CNN and Patti LuPone in Peabody Awards Monologue
After announcing its full list of winners last month, the Peabody Awards celebrated those honorees in person Sunday night with a ceremony hosted by Roy Wood Jr. in Los Angeles. The comedian kicked things off inside the Beverly Wilshire by joking, 'Last year's host was Kumail Nanjiani, so that is back-to-back years with a minority host. The Peabodys standing up for diversity, how about that? Which means in a few months, the White House will cut their funding and so they'll have John Mulaney, that's on y'all.' More from The Hollywood Reporter How Reginald Hudlin and Shola Lynch Put Together the Greatest Call Sheet Ever Are Music and Other Celebrity Films Killing the Documentary? Questlove Reveals the Standout Musical Performance He Omitted From 'Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music' - And Why The event honored 34 winners across entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children'sand youth, public service, and interactive and immersive programming, with a focus on storytelling that reflects the social issues and emerging voices of today. Baby Reindeer, Ripley, Shogun and Will & Harper were among the recognized Hollywood projects. 'We're celebrating the fact that everyone in this room has done one of the boldest things you can do in these times, and that is just straight up tell the truth,' Wood told the crowd, acknowledging the stress of having to know all of the horrible things going on in the world to tell the truth. 'It's hard to create stuff about terrible things without knowing all of the terrible things. It's hard — that's why I quit The Daily Show, it was too much stress.' He then deadpanned, 'I work at CNN now [with comedy show Have I Got News for You], I ain't got to do nothing but plug Jake Tapper's book.' Elsewhere in his monologue, Wood told the winners — who knew they'd be winning ahead of time — to be short and sweet, joking, 'We want your acceptance speeches tonight to be brief and full of sincerities that you don't really mean, like an apology from Patti LuPone.' (The Broadway star apologized Saturday for previous comments she had made about Kecia Lewis and Audra McDonald.) 'We're celebrating the storytellers who risk, who did, who investigate, who create and illuminate,' the comedian declared before launching into the categories, which featured a star-studded roster of presenters including Aloe Blacc, Anna Kendrick, Andrew Lack, Benito Skinner, Indya Moore, Joel KimBooster, Jurnee Smollett, Linda Perry, Mandy Moore, Marissa Bode, Michael Schur, Nava Mau, Niecy Nash, Randall Park, Stephen Merchant, Uzo Aduba, Van Jones and Yvonne Orji. The night also featured two special honors, the first being the Peabody Institutional Award, given to Saturday Night Live. Jon Hamm presented, musing the 'secret sauce of the show has always been 'holding up a mirror and reflecting America's culture to us — politics, contradictions, all of it, right back at you. Yes, SNL is wigs and cue cards and gigs and gags and all of this stuff, but it's always something that dares to confront who we really are.' Lorne Michaels was on hand to accept, accompanied on stage by alums Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon and Fred Armisen. 'I don't really deserve this, but in a way I do,' Michaels teased, noting, 'During SNL 50 this year, which is stunning to even say, all of those people coming back from the first season on, all being in one room, performing and applauding, I think was one of the most moving experiences of my life. I'm not planning a 60th, but I think that getting to do what I get to do is sort of everything that makes me happy; it also makes me angry.' To close out the night, Andrea Mitchell was given the Career Achievement Award, as she reflected on her early days in news and how far women have come in the business. She added, 'All of us journalists have to be fearless. It is no exaggeration to say that strong journalism, providing accurate information to the American people, is critical to the survival of our democracy. As Thomas Jefferson wrote to the continental Congress in 1787, 'Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.'' Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CNN Renews ‘Have I Got News for You' for Season 3
CNN has renewed 'Have I Got News for You,' the American version of the long-running British comedy series, hosted by Roy Wood Jr. with co-stars Michael Ian Black and Amber Ruffin, TheWrap has learned. The cable channel is set to announce the show will be coming back for its third season as part of CNN's Upfront presentation in New York City on Wednesday. 'Now that we know that none of us will be Pope, we proudly announce our return for Season 3 of 'Have I Got News for You' this fall,' Wood Jr., Ruffin and Black joked in a joint statement shared with TheWrap. 'Have I Got News for You' will enter its new season with momentum, having finished its second season as CNN's second most-watched show. It averaged 722,000 viewers during the second season — up 66% compared to the ratings CNN's 9:00 p.m. ET time slot was getting before. The third season of the show will premiere on Saturday, Sep. 6, at 9 p.m. ET on CNN. 'Have I Got News for You' has been a key cog in CNN's revamped, more comedy-focused Saturday night programming since it debuted in September 2024. The show follows 'Real Time With Bill Maher,' which airs at 8 p.m. ET on Saturdays, a night after it runs on HBO. That combo appears to be working, with CNN's viewership on Saturday nights up 42% year-over-year, with the channel averaging 770,000 viewers across those time slots. If you are unfamiliar, 'Have I Got News for You' offers an edgy take on the news of the previous week, with the comic trio testing a rotating panel of guests on their news knowledge via games and quick-hit panel conversations. Some well-known guests from Season 2 included Andy Richter, Mike Lawler, Tim Ryan, George Conway, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Representatives Jasmine Crockett, Ro Khanna and Mike Lawler. Beyond coming back for its third season, CNN will also be launching a 'Have I Got News for You' podcast this summer. ''Have I Got News for You' continues to serve as a humorous reprieve for audiences on Saturday nights without ever losing its bite,' Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent for CNN Originals and creative development for CNN Worldwide, said in a statement. The show is produced by Hat Trick Productions for CNN. Jimmy Mulville, executive producer for Hat Trick, said his company is 'pleased and proud that CNN have asked us to come back and find what's funny in the news' this fall. Jim Biederman and Richard Wilson are also executive producers on the show, which can be streamed on Max if viewers miss it on CNN. The post CNN Renews 'Have I Got News for You' for Season 3 appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Comedians giggle over Trump attempting Spanish in Fox News interview
Panelists on 'Have I Got News For You' join host Roy Wood Jr. to discuss President Donald Trump's immigration stance. The show airs on CNN Saturdays at 9pm ET and is released on Max on Sundays. Watch the full episodes on
CNN
20-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Comedians react to Trump's ‘homegrown criminals' comment
Panelists on "Have I Got News For You" join host Roy Wood Jr. to discuss President Donald Trump's immigration stance. The show airs on CNN Saturdays at 9pm ET and is released on Max on Sundays. Watch the full episodes on
