Roy Wood Jr. never shied away from any subject at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Here are his top three jokes.
1). Purchase of Clarence Thomas
Roy Wood Jr.: Do you understand how rich you have to be to buy a Supreme Court – a black one at that! There are only two in stock. And he owns half of the inventory. We can all see Clarence Thomas, but he’s owned by billionaire Harlan Crowe. And that is what an NFT is.” pic.twitter.com/5EwzwciScQ
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 30, 2023
Wood Jr said:
You can’t lie to black people. Call it what it is. The anti-CRT policy is an attack on black history and an attempt to erase black contributions from the history books. That’s it.
They’re trying to erase black people, and many black people wouldn’t mind having some of that erasure as long as that black person is Clarence Thomas. The billionaire named Harlan Crow flies Clarence Thomas around the world on unreported trips like an Instagram model. Paid for his mother’s house. Paid for his mother’s house. I have to leave it to the billionaires. Billionaires, you are all relentless. They always come up with something new to buy. If you think of everything you can buy on earth, billionaires will come up with something new. Space rockets, you bought Twitter.
This man bought a Supreme Court Justice. Do you understand how rich it takes to buy a Supreme Court Justice another black man! There are only two left in stock. And he owns half of the inventory. We can all see Clarence Thomas, but he’s owned by billionaire Harlan Crow. And that is exactly what an NFT is.
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2). Roy Wood Jr. addresses Tucker Carlson employees:
Roy Wood Jr. speaks to Tucker Carlson’s staff, “But about Tucker’s staff, I want you to know that I know how you’re feeling. I work at The Daily Show, so I too was caught unawares by the sudden departure of a fake news show host.” #WHCD pic.twitter.com/eerX9bXaD9
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 30, 2023
Roy Wood Jr said:
Scandals – Scandals have engulfed careers this year. The untouchable Tucker Carlson is unemployed. OK. Some people celebrated. But to Tucker’s co-worker, I want you to know that I know how you’re feeling. I work at The Daily Show, so I too was caught unawares by the sudden departure of a number of fake news programs.
….
We need to get Tucker back on the air, Mr. President, because right now there are millions of Americans who don’t even know why they hate you.
3). The attacks on Kamala Harris
Roy Wood Jr. calls out the misogynistic attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris: “The scandal, what is Kamala doing? Which is a disrespectful question. Because nobody ever asks the VP that question until a woman gets the job.” #WHCD pic.twitter.com/Ul07cxGBis
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 30, 2023
Wood Jr said:
But I think the most offensive scandal that fell at the feet of the Biden administration was laid at the feet of our vice president. The scandal, what is Kamala doing? Which is a disrespectful question. Because nobody asks the vice president that question until a woman gets the job.
Nobody asked. I don’t know what Mike Pence did. All I know about Mike Pence is that he’s really good at hide and seek in the Capitol. You’ll have to be smart to catch Mike Pence in this Capitol. He knows every nook and cranny. Don’t point the camera at a Mike Pence joke. Do not do that. Don’t be – they’re trying to trick you. Do you see what they’re doing?
At the end of the day, being a Vice President just has to be better than Dick Cheney. This is the bar. Just be better than Dick Cheney. They made a documentary about Dick Cheney. Well, I don’t know much about the vice president’s job, but I do know if you can do a documentary about your time as vice president, you were wrong vice president. And if a vp’s job is really just about stepping in to help save the country in an emergency, then the job of vice president is the perfect job for a black woman, it shouldn’t be, but it is. And whatever you achieve, whatever you achieve, all they’re going to do is give credit to a man for it.
Previous comedians who have performed at WHCD have described it as one of their toughest gigs, but one of the keys to success seems to be fearlessness. Roy Wood Jr. didn’t draw any punches. He went for the jokes and for much of his set they landed. He was funny without being mean and very insightful.
This is how a correspondents’ dinner at the White House should be.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House press pool and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His thesis focused on public policy with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
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