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The Run-Up

The Comedian Roy Wood Jr. on Biden, Trump and What’s Funny About 2024

The Run-Up

The New York Times

News Commentary, Politics, News

4.42K Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2024

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The stakes of the 2024 presidential election could not be more serious. But in this matchup of two old, largely unpopular candidates, there is no shortage of material for comedians. This may be bad news for voters. However, it’s good news for the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner — essentially the Super Bowl of political comedy — which takes place this Saturday in Washington. The president typically attends the dinner and gives a speech, while also trying his hand at some jokes. But the main event is a set from a comedian. Last year, Roy Wood Jr., a veteran performer who was then a “Daily Show” correspondent, did the honors. Today, we talk with Roy Wood Jr. about that gig and political comedy in 2024. What’s it like to roast the president to his face? And what is there to laugh about in an election that doesn’t seem funny at all?

Transcript

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0:00.0

The stakes of this election could not be more serious. But at the same time, in this

0:08.3

matchup of two very old largely unpopular candidates, there is no shortage of material for comedians.

0:15.0

This may be bad news for the country.

0:18.0

However, it's good news for the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

0:22.0

The Super Bowl of Political Comedy It's dinner.

0:23.0

The Super Bowl of Political Comedy held this Saturday in Washington, D.C.

0:29.0

Typically, the President attends the dinner and delivers a speech underscoring the values of the First Amendment,

0:36.1

while also trying his hand in some jokes. But the headline act is a set from a famous comedian,

0:48.0

like John Stewart in 1997 or Wanda Sykes in 2009. Don't give it up for Dark Branders.

0:50.0

Last year the comedian was Roy Wood Jr. a veteran of the daily show on Comedy Central.

1:01.1

Happy to be here. Oh real quick, Mr President, I think you left some of your classified documents up here,

1:05.0

you can get to the...

1:07.0

Who killed it?

1:08.0

No, don't get him to him, but I put him in a safe place.

1:10.0

He don't know where to keep him.

1:12.0

I must... And pulled no punches in the process.

1:15.0

Anti-CRT policies are an attack on black history

1:19.0

and an attempt to erase the contributions of black people from the history books.

1:24.0

That's what it is.

1:28.0

You are trying to erase black people,

1:30.0

and a lot of black people wouldn't mind some of that erasure as long as that

1:33.9

black person is Clarence Thomas.

...

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