Roy Wood Jr. believes that civilization is doomed if we don’t find a way back to social normalcy.
In a recent interview with TheWrap, the former “Daily Show” correspondent explained why he decided to start off his new Hulu comedy special “Lonely Flowers” with a despairing statement about modern society’s lack of connection — a theme he digs into through his work onstage.
“I enjoy the idea of starting with a joke before saying hello, but I kind of also wanted to almost state the thesis of the paper before presenting my work,” Wood, who kicked off the the special with “We ain’t gon’ make it,” told TheWrap. “I feel like, if we remain in the same state that we’re in as a society, we’re not going to make it, it’s only going to get worse. So let me start with a comedic declaration of pessimism, just make this horribly pessimistic declaration, and then hopefully bring it back to a conversation about connection and togetherness. That was kind of the goal.”
Wood lands that punchline and goes for the jugular as soon as he hits the stage for his latest stand-up special “Lonely Flowers.” The special is an analysis of the growing isolation and estrangement in humanity following the COVID-19 pandemic and as new technology enters the global chat. Between political differences, text-first interactions and a lean into self-checkout lanes by grocery chains, Wood outlines through a series of personal anecdotes how the world is fostering a culture of detachment. Woods says humans are the lonely flowers he titled the special after.
“We’re the lonely flowers. Like, a flower by itself is one of the saddest things you can see, but a group of flowers together is one of the most beautiful things you can see,” Wood explained. “We’re all lonely, but man, if we came together and we got more connected, we would be so much better off.”
While weaving in satirical stories about America’s gun culture, his experiences with dating, and being invited to sex parties, Wood briefly touched on his decision to leave “The Daily Show” after an eight-year stint. The comedian explains how his hopes to become the next host of “The Daily Show,” following Trevor Noah’s announced departure, fell through six months after he’d suggested that his mother quit her job in education, which Wood says ultimately would have created a “disconnect” for her in her personal career and life. As Wood enters a new chapter in his career as the host of CNN’s comedy panel show “Have I Got News for You,” he said he didn’t have any reservations about bringing up his old job.
“I didn’t have any reservations of just mentioning ‘The Daily Show.’ Even within that, I wanted to mention ‘The Daily Show’ as it relates to my mom. It’s more about the conversations I was having with mom, and ‘The Daily Show’ being one of the things we talked about. My stand-up is about the world, it’s people and what we’re all experiencing collectively. The stuff at ‘The Daily Show’ is about me, and I really don’t talk about me on stage that much. Just in general, that’s not my thing. I don’t talk about myself and what I go through.”
Wood said that he would never lock any doors of opportunity working with “The Daily Show” or Comedy Central, but mentioned that he’s currently exploring what more is out there for him and his craft.
“I would never close the door on any opportunity that gives me growth, which is part of why I accepted the CNN job. It’s an opportunity to host something, it’s an opportunity to still have a conversation at the time during an election,” Wood said. “I think at the end of the day, I just wanted an opportunity to do something a little different, and I felt like the best opportunity for that was going to come with leaving. And if the best opportunity with that comes with returning, then it’s fair to consider. But I’m very, very happy at CNN, and the thing that I love about what we’re doing at CNN is that it feels like such a deviation from what they do the other six nights of the week on that network.”
