While The Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. may have to outlast a carousel of guest hosts in order to fill the vacant hosting seat left behind by Trevor Noah, he’s about to get another chance to show the execs at Comedy Central how capable he is of stepping into Noah’s shoes. On February 2, the White House Correspondents’ Association announced that Wood will be the featured entertainer at the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, following directly on the heels of his former Daily Show boss’s hosting turn in 2022. Wood, who has been a correspondent on The Daily Show since 2015 and has been performing incisive stand-up about hot-button events for decades, will have a wealth of experience to draw from as he sets his sights on this uniquely difficult comedy room. “It’s an honor to be a part of a long-running tradition of celebrating those members of the media, who work so hard to uncover the truth, and hold our government accountable,” Wood said in a statement. “It will be a great night that will go down in the history books, or not, depending on which state you live in.”
“Roy Wood Jr. brings a journalistic eye to his comedy. He’s hilarious — but also makes sure his audiences are thinking as they laugh,” said Tamara Keith, WHCA president. “My aim with this year’s dinner is to lift up the importance of a free and independent press to a functioning democracy, so I am thrilled to be able to feature a comedian who gets what journalism is all about.”
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be held on April 29. Hopefully, Herschel Walker will give another press conference between now and then so Wood can borrow a little more of his “material” for the event.
