Roy Wood Jr. to Host CNN’s ‘Have I Got News for You’
Roy Wood Jr. is getting back into the news-and-comedy game.
The comedian and Daily Show alum has been named the host of Have I Got News for You at CNN. The cable news outlet will debut its version of the long-running BBC panel show on Sept. 14.
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Have I Got News for You is a BBC staple, having been on the air since 1990. The show features two teams of panelists answering questions about the week’s news, with a heavy dose of humor. CNN announced in May that it was developing its own version of the show with Hat Trick Productions, producer of the BBC show.
“For far too long immigrants have been coming to America and taking Black jobs, kudos to CNN and the immigrants at Hat Trick Productions for bringing a Black job to the States,” Wood said in a statement. “It is an honor to be a part of such a hallowed British institution to help make sense of the American institutions of chaos, name calling, disinformation, reality television and the 8-hour news cycle.”
Have I Got News for You also features two team captains (Ian Hislop and Paul Merton fill those roles on the BBC), which CNN will announce closer to the show’s premiere date. The British show’s panel features a mix of comedians, entertainers and political figures.
Wood was a Daily Show correspondent from 2015-23 and also hosted the show several times after Trevor Noah’s departure. He has also starred in three stand-up specials for Comedy Central; his acting credits include Confess, Fletch opposite Jon Hamm and guest spots on Only Murders in the Building and Better Call Saul, among others. He was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy in 2022 as a producer of the documentary The Neutral Ground. Wood is repped by Mainstay Entertainment and CAA.
CNN Originals and Hat Trick Productions are producing the American Have I Got News for You. Jimmy Mulville, Richard Wilson and Jim Biederman executive produce.
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