-Our next guest is a very funny comedian
and correspondent on "The Daily Show."
His stand-up special "Imperfect Messenger"
premieres Friday on Comedy Central at 10:30.
Let's take a look.
-You ever been somewhere and there's too many American flags?
[ Laughter ]
It just feels...
There's a little too much freedom in this space.
[ Laughter ]
And it just don't feel right.
Like, how many American flags equal one Confederate flag?
-Please welcome back to the show our friend Roy Wood Jr.!
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
-Yes. -Hi. Welcome back.
-They look good.
-It has -- -What's happening, man?
-It has been a minute since you've been here.
2014 was the last time you were here.
-Yeah, man. I came in here and did the damn thing
and then got "The Daily Show" like not too long after that.
-That's right. Then you were a very busy man.
And I'm happy when you're busy. I'm a huge fan of your work.
I love seeing you on "The Daily Show."
I love seeing your stand-up.
-Man, I love seeing you, as well.
I was trying to come see you in Boston.
You was doing the live show.
-Yep. July. -In Boston.
And I was in Boston.
We were shooting "Confess, Fletch" with Jon Hamm.
We was wrapping up production on "Fletch."
And then the more I wanted to come there, the more I realized
I don't, like -- You know how like --
There's a lot of wrong ways to catch COVID.
You don't want to catch COVID going to the Seth Meyers show...
and then bring it back to Jon Hamm.
-No. -That's a terrible situation.
And then also your fans --
Here's the thing I also noticed about --
Like, your fans, there's a little bit of overlap
between the people who love you and who love "The Daily Show."
-Yes, sir. -And these people talk a lot.
And they mean well, but it's COVID.
I need you to keep it short. -Yep.
-But the people, they're like,
[Throaty] "Hey, I just want you to know
how much you mean to me.
Just -- I love you."
I'm like, "Hey, I would rather you hate me
'cause it's a quicker conversation."
-Right, because if you run into somebody who hates you,
it's much quicker, yeah.
-"Hey, hey, hey! Kiss my ass!" I'm like, "Thank you."
-[ Laughter ] -That was brief.
That was a brief conversation. -Did you ever catch COVID?
-Yeah, but, see, I caught it -- I caught COVID in the early days
when you still had to be ashamed about it.
-Uh-huh.
-You remember the early days of COVID.
"I just want y'all to know I'm doing fine and we are --
we are taking all the precautions."
Like, you had to whisper, "I had it, but then I..."
You catch COVID now, you can tell everybody.
"Yeah, bitch, I had it. I had it three times! What?
Hey, I caught COVID. I'm going to the grocery store.
You want something?"
-I would love it, yeah. You got the antibodies. Go.
-Yeah, people are wide open with it now.
I had the whisper COVID. -Yeah.
Oh, the whisper COVID. That was the worst one to get.
Everybody says Delta is bad. Whisper, that's the tough one.
-That's the one.
-That's the one you don't want to get.
We were talking backstage. I'm so impressed by this.
Because I was watching your special
and I was thinking to myself, "Gosh, this feels really fresh
and of the moment."
And a lot of times -- People don't know this --
But specials are shot four, six, eight months
before people can see them.
You shot this two weeks ago. -Shot it two weeks ago.
-That's amazing. -Shot it two weeks ago.
-And you can tell, and it's wonderful
to see something that's this new.
-The world changes too fast,
and the last thing I want to be is the comedian with a special
that's not on the pulse of where we are as a people now.
Comedy when it's at its best is on the finger of the pulse now,
not what was three, four, five, six months ago.
So, you know, I'm very thankful to Comedy Central
and the production team for, you know, being able to help me
turn it around that fast, 'cause that's what I wanted.
Like, you don't want to be the dude talking about Delta
in your special and we done moved on
to Omega, Lambda, Sigma, Theta. -Yeah.
-So, you know -- -I mean, if you did a special
six months ago, you very possibly could have like,
"It's over!" -Yeah.
-Then people would be watching it now and be like,
"Where was he?"
-Yeah, or the asteroid could hit. You never know.
-Right. -Anything could happen.
-That would be the worst thing about an asteroid hitting,
would be your special not being timely.
-Yes.
-You talk about police in your special.
You know, law enforcement. You also mention
you have a couple of family members in law enforcement.
-So, I mean, Thanksgiving should be okay.
I don't really go in on the police.
I was trying to, like, you know,
just present different prisms into police reform.
For sure, I know one of my cousins,
he ain't gonna be offended
'cause he is one of the laziest state troopers.
Which honestly is just like
a beautiful bridge to help with the community.
It's -- You ever feel good when you see somebody
not be good at they job? -Yeah.
-I'll be like, "All right, man,
maybe you are one of the good ones.
You didn't even tuck in your shirt."
He drives his squad car on his off days.
-In uniform or out? -No. Regular clothes.
Like, he drives a police car in regular clothes,
then wants me to go run errands with him.
I'm like, "First off, you need to take the car
back to the station. It ain't supposed to be at your house."
And he like, "I'm just running to Dollar Tree right quick.
Come with me."
I'm like, "No, bitch. I'm not riding with you."
In a squad -- Two black dudes in regular clothes in a police car?
This -- Do the other police know?
"Man, they know me." I'm like, "No."
"All right, well, I'm gonna go change.
I'm gonna go put on my uniform."
I'm like, "That don't solve my problem."
You in uniform. I'm sitting up front with you.
I'm wearing regular clothes. Now I look like a snitch.
I look like --
Look like you taking me to Dollar Tree
to reward me for snitching.
[ Laughter ]
So... -I get it, man.
-I love him. I love him, man. -I love seeing you.
I love the special. It's really something else.
Thanks so much for making time for us, Roy.
It is always such a pleasure. -Thank you for having me, man.
-You guys, that's Roy Wood Jr.
"Imperfect Messenger"
premieres Friday on Comedy Central at 10:30.