B&T Extra: Comedian Roy Wood Jr.

Summary

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The BOB & TOM Show Extra: Interview with Comedian Roy Wood Jr.

Episode Date: December 3, 2025
Featured Guest: Roy Wood Jr.
Main Theme: Exploring Roy Wood Jr.’s new memoir “The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir”, his upbringing, relationship with his father, comedic journey, and more.

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Episode Overview

This special “Bob & Tom Extra” features comedian Roy Wood Jr. in a candid and humorous discussion centered on his new memoir, The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir. The conversation covers Roy’s unique family background, relationship with his parents, his father’s influence as a broadcaster and community figure, his approach to comedy, and colorful stories both from the book and behind the scenes of his career.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Roy Wood Jr.’s New Memoir

• Book Details: The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir. Roy both wrote and narrates the audiobook.
• Notable Insight: The memoir is centered not just on fatherhood, but on formative moments with his mother, and the patchwork of life lessons from both parents and other “fathers” throughout his life.
• Language: Roy notes the inclusion of swearing for realism when quoting others, but keeps his on-stage style mostly clean (09:18).

“If I was quoting someone and something that they would have actually said, then we’re gonna let the cuss word fly... just to add a little bit of flavor to the book.”
— Roy Wood Jr. [09:18]

2. Influence of Roy’s Father and Mother

• Father’s Background: Veteran broadcaster, deeply involved in the civil rights movement, and a “serious guy, tight with a dollar” (06:16).
• Accent and Speaking Voice: As a child of a broadcaster and college educator, Roy was made to practice clear diction and enunciation, which has shaped his stage and broadcast voice.

"My dad would force me to re-pronounce words. My mother's a college educator. My father is a journalist who must always enunciate every word and use every muscle in your throat.”
— Roy Wood Jr. [04:33]

• Loss of Humor: Roy reflects that his father, exposed to decades of struggle and coverage of difficult events, lost the ability to laugh and found little joy in entertainment.

“My dad did nothing but watch the news. And Jeopardy. That’s it. There was no chuckles. Not never… I just think somewhere in there, you just lose your ability to laugh.”
— Roy Wood Jr. [07:24]

3. Unique Childhood Experiences

• Living Arrangements: Frequently shuttled between parents, often accompanying his dad on radio gigs and lectures (05:32).
• TV and Music Restrictions: At his father’s house, Roy was only allowed to watch news; pop culture was off-limits unless his father was away.

"I’m five years old watching Larry King Live. Okay, cool. I go back to school the next day… did you know Mikhail Gorbachev be tripping?"
— Roy Wood Jr. [14:31]

• Unusual Family Dynamics: Roy’s father was 63 years old when Roy was born; his mom was 30 or 31. Roy was the ninth of 11 children, but mostly an only child at home, with siblings “like weird sitcom neighbors” (16:57).

4. Comedy and Personal Growth

• Comedy Career: Roy used family stories and experiences as inspiration but didn’t get to perform in front of his father, who passed when Roy was 16 (08:25).
• Forgiveness and Fatherhood: The book covers learning not to be resentful about what he lacked as a child, but instead being present as a father himself.

“To be a really good father, part of you has to let go of what you did not get as a father. You can’t be resentful for what your parents lacked and also be present at the same time for your kids.”
— Roy Wood Jr. [16:00]

5. Notable Anecdotes and Humor

• Dunk Tank Fundraisers: His father scolded him for participating in a dunk tank for a soccer fundraiser, seeing it as undignified (08:36).
• Mr. Pibb Voiceovers: Roy is the voice for Mr. Pibb commercials but never received any actual Mr. Pibb as payment.

“They don’t give you Mr. Pibb… I guess they figured we gave you money, go buy it.”
— Roy Wood Jr. [11:11]

• Lemon in Mr. Pibb: Shout-out to a woman named Gloria who showed him this “pro tip”—enhancing his love for the drink [11:18].
• Pipe Game Story: Roy jokes about how his father's many romantic relationships led to women showing up to say goodbye—humorously attributing it to “pipe game.” The hosts riff on this line in a memorable, lighthearted exchange (17:15–18:11).

“As a man, we all want to have a pipe game that’s so good that your girls from the past come to say goodbye…”
— Roy Wood Jr. [17:45]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Description | |-----------|------------------|-------------------| | 04:33 | Roy Wood Jr. | “My dad would force me to re-pronounce words... every muscle in your throat.” | | 07:24 | Roy Wood Jr. | “My dad did nothing but watch the news. And Jeopardy... you just lose your ability to laugh.” | | 09:18 | Roy Wood Jr. | “If I was quoting someone ... then we’re gonna let the cuss word fly.” | | 11:11 | Roy Wood Jr. | “They don’t give you Mr. Pibb ... go buy it.” | | 14:31 | Roy Wood Jr. | “Five years old watching Larry King Live... did you know Mikhail Gorbachev be tripping?” | | 16:00 | Roy Wood Jr. | “To be a really good father, part of you has to let go of what you did not get as a father...” | | 17:45 | Roy Wood Jr. | “We all want to have a pipe game that’s so good that your girls from the past come to say goodbye...” | | 18:08 | Bob Kevoian | “How dare you say pipe game on this show?” |

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Additional Highlights

• MLB Awards Hosting: Roy is set to co-host the MLB Awards with Mookie Betts (11:49).
• Stephen A. Smith Review: Roy’s memoir features a blurb from sports commentator Stephen A. Smith, which Roy finds especially meaningful given Smith’s selectivity with books (12:25).
• Early Entrepreneurship: Roy shares a story from the book about raking leaves for extra cash (15:33).
• Musical Upbringing: Exposed primarily to jazz, 70’s soul, and adult contemporary music; only discovered hip-hop through friends and after getting a Walkman (14:53).

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Segment Timestamps

• 03:01 – Roy Wood Jr. joins; discussion of memoir and audiobook
• 04:33 – Articulating words, voice training & avoiding a Southern accent
• 06:16 – Father’s background, seriousness, Civil Rights history
• 07:24 – Father’s lack of humor and ‘Soul Train’ story
• 09:18 – On using profanity in his writing versus stage
• 11:07 – Mr. Pibb commercial voiceover story
• 11:49 – MLB Awards hosting gig announcement
• 12:25 – Stephen A. Smith’s endorsement
• 13:58 – Childhood TV restrictions, becoming a Cubs fan
• 14:53 – Musical influences and eventual exposure to hip-hop
• 15:33 – Raking leaves entrepreneurship story
• 16:00 – Forgiveness and learning from other “fathers”
• 17:12 – Sibling dynamics and “pipe game” humor
• 18:08 – “Pipe game” joke and comic riffing to episode’s close

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Tone and Style

The episode strikes a blend of heartfelt, introspective storytelling with classic Bob & Tom Show banter and quick-witted humor. Roy Wood Jr. matches the hosts’ playful energy, delivering both laughs and sincere moments.

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For Listeners

This episode offers more than just comedic anecdotes; it’s a deep dive into the layers behind Roy Wood Jr.’s comedy, his unique upbringing, and the family stories that shaped him. It’s the perfect listen for anyone interested in the intersection of humor, history, and personal growth.

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Transcript

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[Christopher]

Welcome back. It's another Bob and Tom extra. This is Christopher. Not only is the Bob and Tom show live every weekday morning, but every afternoon we'll give you a little extra. In case you missed anything on today's big show, It's Roy Wood Jr. He's coming up in just a minute.

[Doug]

Rocks.

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[Joke Host]

The animal walks into a bar joke hotline. Here's today's Animal walks into a bar joke.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

What's a recording?

[Joke Host]

Oh, a horse walks into a box, right? The bartender walks over and says, hey bud, why the long face?

[Bob Kevoian]

Thank you.

So just one per day.

[Joke Host]

One joke per day.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Now some more Bob and Tom. This is Bob and Tom Extra.

[Bob Kevoian]

We're going to get hooked up, I think in just a second with comedian Roy Wood Jr. The man is a fine stand up comedian and he's asleep there. There he is. Hey, Roy.

Now an author. The book is called the man of Many Fathers Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir. I'm a couple hours in Roy. I just got it yesterday on and you, you did the audible version. You read it and I, I enjoy the fact that there's some bad words in there especially.

You start. Even though it's about fatherhood and Fathers. It starts off with a lot about your mom and some of your adventures with your mom. It's great stuff. I'm really fascinated by the background of your life and a couple of exotic spots you lived in, a bunch of different places. And.

I have a question I want to ask right away about it.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

And.

[Bob Kevoian]

It'S about you don't have an. You don't have a Southern accent at all. And yet you were.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Well, I don't know where you got that there from that time. What you got to figure out, man.

[Bob Kevoian]

Because you spent the bulk of your time in Birmingham and then you were in Tennessee, you were in Mississippi. And my question is, did you work on losing your accent or did you ever have one? And I asked this. I remember we spoke to Dan Rather once, and he was from Texas, and he said when he started in broadcasting, he had to work on getting rid of his accent. And your dad was a famous broadcaster and I've had occasion to hear a lot of him lately.

Your late father, some recordings of your dad. And he had an amazing voice. Did that. Was that part of the reason you're so. You have such a great speaking voice?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I think so. My dad would force me to re pronounce words. My mother's a college educator. My father is a journalist who must always enunciate every word and use every muscle in your throat.

So it just wasn't there then I majored in journalism. And then they make you take voice and diction classes. Now, granted, I was learning how to speak proper English in the Florida Panhandle. So I don't know if I ever was taught proper English in Tallahassee, but it slowly kind of just got dissolved away. But I will tell you, if you give me enough liquor what day that's so the next thing gonna come right back in.

Boy, you better pull it up, man. We gotta drink this.

[Bob Kevoian]

I used to always notice that Barack Obama would sort of shift gears in front of certain audiences with his voice. One of the funny things you talk about in the book.

You had a very unusual living arrangement with your dad off and on. But he would drag you to the radio station at five in the morning, which is what I did to my sons for years. And you would sit there in the air booth and watch him, and if you made any noise, he'd whack you with a newspaper.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I didn't know that. This noise is going out over the air to millions of people in syndication. I'm trying to enjoy a biscuit from Hardee's and My dad could literally just be talking and then you could just hear him in the Wag Gwen News Center. I am Roy Wood, the T.

It's 7:20. You can just hear, like, a stutter step and like, oh, that was the slap.

[Bob Kevoian]

And we should point out Roy Wood Jr. Is our guest. He's a very fine standup comedian, and his father was a very distinguished broadcaster. A very serious guy, very tight with the dollar. You tell some great stories about your ability to earn money on the side without telling him because he didn't want to part with a dollar. But he was very well known and went everywhere with the civil rights movement. Went to Vietnam, went to Africa, covered all kinds of stuff. But what struck me is you mentioned that you would follow him around on weekends and he would be doing, like, lectures at churches, et cetera. And you said that kind of reminds you of what your career has been like, standing in front of crowds. But maybe I'm not deep enough in the book. Did your father have a sense of humor at all?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

No, I. I don't think my dad ever laughed. Like, he might have laughed at the barbershop or something, but, like, he never watched sitcoms either. Like, when I really sat and really reflected about my pops because, you know, the book is essentially like, well, you need to know who he is to know who I am. But he died at 16. So I learned stuff from other people. But what I really reflected. My dad did nothing but watch the news.

And Jeopardy. That's it. There was no chuckles. Not never. You remember the Soul Train story? My dad didn't know how to have fun. My dad could have been a part of the Soul Train empire with Don Cornelius and then told Don Cornelius, nobody wants to watch black people dance for an hour. It's a terrible idea.

[Bob Kevoian]

Yeah. And your dad is the guy that got darn Cornelius into broadcasting. Yeah.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Hired him from the Chicago Police Department. Said, hey, man, you got a good voice. Stop carrying a gun and come hold this microphone. And Don agreed and built a whole empire. So my dad did nothing but cover struggle in all of the worst moments globally from the 1950s all the way, say, through the Rodney King riots. I just think somewhere in there, you just lose your ability to laugh. I just. I just think he lost it. And I don't think he ever really knew smiling or happiness or anything like that.

[Bob Kevoian]

Did you ever do anything funny in front of him? Obviously you didn't become a stand up comedian for. Until he'd been long gone, but did you ever, like, do a speech in front of him at a class, Anything like that?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

No. Well, I got in Duncan Booth in the seventh grade for my soccer team to raise money for uniforms, and he came and cussed me out at the bake sale about.

About, you know, you nobody's fool and nobody needs to be out here getting dunked in water for uniform. You are being foolish.

[Bob Kevoian]

We're talking to Roy Wood Jr. Roy's book is called the man of Many Fathers Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir. I'm a couple of hours into that. I'm doing the audiobook, Roy. And there's, there's. There's a little bit of cursing in it, even as a youth. But on your. On stage, you don't, you don't curse a lot on stage?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

No, not a lot. And I felt like if I was quoting someone and something that they would have actually said, then we're gonna let the cuss word fly. We're gonna. We're gonna let it fly here and there just to. Just to add a little bit of flavor to the book. A little bit.

[Bob Kevoian]

One thing I didn't know, I may not have the number right, but you were when you were born, your dad was what, 60 something?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Yeah, my dad was 63 when I was born. But I had to give context to that because 63 is one of them ages that could look a lot of different ways. My dad was 63, but he looked 45. You know, he was one of them. He was one of them old players like that. And my mom was 30 or 31, I think somewhere in there. So.

It was a different relationship. And I think once you get to an age where your parents can give you advice, if you have older parents, you don't really get the same childhood. You don't get to play catch and throw the ball and walk in the park. You get people that are trying to prepare you for life because they feel like they don't have a lot of time left with you. And I think that's kind of where my father and I's relationship got reduced to. Him just kind of taking me around to grown up stuff and him telling me about life as a whole and less so about. Let's talk about who you have a crush on.

[Bob Kevoian]

Yeah. And your dad had a lot of lady friends and it was very complicated situation. I'll let people that read the book find out about that. On a different note, we were talking about the return of Mr. Pibb, and I was doing some homework, and it says that a guy named Roy Wood Jr. Is the voice of the Mr. Pibb Buck pitch out there. I had no idea. That's pretty funny. Are you. Are you a fan? Do they give you. Do you get paid in, like, cases of Mr. Pibb for life?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

You know what's crazy? They don't give you Mr. Pibb.

[Bob Kevoian]

Huh?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I guess they figured we gave you money, go buy it.

[Bob Kevoian]

Yeah, right.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I've always been a fan of Mr. Pibb. And I have to give a shout out to a woman from Tallahassee named Gloria. Ended up trying to keep my Ford Focus, who showed me how to put lemon in Mr. Pibb and how that enhances the flavor. I never known that. Thank you, Gloria. If you somewhere listening from prison.

[Bob Kevoian]

We'Re talking with comedian Roy Wood Jr. Roy's been one of our favorites from the early days. Roy. I also. I don't know much about it. I saw a thing you're going to be. What'd you say? He's emceeing some baseball thing.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

He's hosting. Oh, yeah, the MLB Awards. Myself and Mookie Betts are co hosting that. And it's the end of the year award show for all of baseball. You know, we celebrate The Saigons and MVPs and Roberto Clemente award winners. All the old heads come back and we praise them. It's coming to. It's going to be a really good time. It's only their third year doing it, but it has grown into something that's actually pretty cool, man. I think baseball players are, like, off camera and off the field, probably one of the coolest. Not as cool. Hockey players are number one, but I think baseball is number two.

[Bob Kevoian]

Yeah. And by the way, I was looking, I was just looking at your book online here. One of the reviews of Roy's book, the man of Many Fathers Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir. One of the reviewers is Stephen A. Smith. But it's so Stephen, it's written down so you can't hear him screaming. He says, Roy didn't just write a book, he left a mark. That's gotta be cool. Do you know Stephen pretty well?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Yeah, we've met a couple times when I used to, you know, like 2012, 13. I was doing a lot more ESPN on a regular basis before I got to Daily Show. And so we would cross paths a couple of times, you know, in the ESPN hallways. And like, I always had a lot of respect for him when he used to write for the Philly Inquirer and he was covering Allen Iverson when he used to be on Fox Sports. And I know that he doesn't read A lot of books. Like, he's very selective about the books he chooses to read, rather. And so, you know, just. It's one of them things that. Hey, man, would be honored if you read my book and write a blurb and recommend it to other people. I will see about that.

[Bob Kevoian]

Roy Wood Jr. Is our guest once again. Roy's got a book out out there. One of the things that you talk about is. Once again, we're talking about Roy's book. We're talking to Roy Wood Jr your. Your father would, if I get the story right, would never let you watch your tv. When you were at his house, all he watched was the news. So it was kind of forced on you. You didn't get to go to the other room and watch something on a different TV set. Am I getting it right?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Yeah, like, you just have to watch what I'm watching. That's part of why I became a Cubs fan, because they came on during the day when he was gone, so I could actually watch the tv. But my pops would come in, and he just. He would. We just. I guess we're watching Larry King Live. I'm five years old watching Larry King Live. Okay, cool. I go back to school the next day. All my classmates are talking about them. Oh, man. Did you see him living color last night? Like, no, but did you know Mikhail Gorbachev be tripping.

You know that? I know that.

[Bob Kevoian]

One more thing before we let you go, Roy, musically, and maybe you get to this later in the book.

When you were in the car with. With your dad or your. Even your mom on the radio, were you allowed to listen to contemporary hip hop or rock or anything? Or was. Was it always news on the radio, too?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

In the car, it was news and, like, 70 Soul, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, or jazz? Like, I. I think I was the only kid who had a favorite Diana Ross song.

Not a knock on Diana Ross, but, you know, I shouldn't be humming. That's what Friends are for.

[Bob Kevoian]

Yeah.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

In the fifth grade, do you know the way to San Jose? It's like, what are you talking about, bro? You don't have LL Cool J in your house. So. No, I had to wait until I got a Walkman. Once I got a Walkman. Like, I think sixth grade was when I really kind of had some autonomy with music, and I went straight to Eazy.

[Bob Kevoian]

Your book, you talk about discovering the world of finance. You get a rake, leaving a rake. What is it? Raking leaves business up and running. That's a great story. Lots of great stories. So far, I'm only partway into the book. Once again, it's called the man of Many Fathers Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir. And you talk about your mom a lot and your dad. And then you start meeting people that help you what, understand fatherhood because you're a dad.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Yeah. I just think if you look back at the values you have, they didn't all come from your parents. And there's probably some very interesting stories to why you believe the things you believe. And, like, if you can go back and really think about that, I think knowing why we are the way we are, it gives us an opportunity to be a better parent. The other thing I learned from this book is that, yeah, my pops was in the streets. He had a lot of women. You know, I'm the ninth of 11 kids. But to be a really good father, part of you has to let go of what you did not get as a father. You can't be resentful for what your parents lacked and also be present at the same time for your kids. So there's a degree of forgiveness that I had to learn on the way, too, bro.

[Bob Kevoian]

It's a great book, and it's a really unusual thing. You were kind of an only child, but as you said, you were one of nine. You were. You pretty much. You never had a brother or sister in the house with you. Am I getting that right?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Correct. Never had one in the house, but they were always kind of around and stuff. Like, I just. I don't know. I had siblings who just come in, like, weird sitcom neighbors. My dad, like, that's your brother's name.

[Bob Kevoian]

There may be more.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Oh, bro. When my dad was getting ready to pass, like, the month before, before he passed, and he was, like, really sick, and they knew it was, like, it was over. This is, like, random women coming to the house. Like, I just want to say my goodbyes. And. And the more I think about. This is not in the book, by the way, the more I thought about. I say, I think as a man, we all want to have a pipe game. That's so good that your girls from the past come to say goodbye to that.

[Bob Kevoian]

Your pipe game is so strong. I've learned a lot. Roy Wood Jr. Has been one of our favorite comedians since he was an opening act.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Oh, you gonna run me off like cocaine?

[Bob Kevoian]

How dare you say.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

What was it?

[Bob Kevoian]

Pipe job. What did he say? Pipe game. How dare you say pipe game on this show? Say goodbye to that. Me next time you're around. Roy, come on in. It's Always a great pleasure. Congratulations on the book. It's really good. I'm really enjoying it. See you, man. Bye, Roy.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Thank you.

[Bob Kevoian]

Pipe game. Yeah, the pipe game. The pipe game. The pipe game. How you lay that pipe. Okay, so it's. It's not a crack pipe. No, honey.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Okay. Sorry.

[Bob Kevoian]

Thank you. Waste.

[Christopher]

That's it for another Bob and Tom show. Extra. Catch us on itunes, Google Play and Stitcher. For Bob and Tom.

[Bob Kevoian]

Extra.

[Christopher]

This is Christopher. Take care, everybody.

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[Doug]

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[Bob Kevoian]

Limu. Is that guy with the binoculars watching us?

[Doug]

Cut the camera.

[Christopher]

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