Roy Wood Jr. reveals how an arrest in college led him to comedy

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

Roy Wood Jr. began doing standup because he got arrested — no really. He was 19 and in college at Florida A&M University when he stole some credit cards. He bought several hundreds of dollars of clothes. 

“It was a lot of money. A lot of money. I was the sharpest brother on campus with a 2.3 GPA,” he said. Of course, he got arrested and suspended for a semester but at that point, he did not know if he was going to get probation. “I thought I was still going to jail,” he said. “So if I’m going to jail, let me try everything I ever wanted to do.”

He was 19 and facing a possible prison stint so let’s try to cross some things off the bucket list. Comedy was on the bucket list.

“I went to an open mic in Birmingham,” he said. He grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, so that was a home gig. “Liked it enough. So then I started riding the Greyhound up to Atlanta.” That’s over two hours. “Then I took the MARTA out to the Uptown Comedy Club in Buckhead. I get booed. I take the MARTA out to the Uptown Comedy Club in Buckhead. I get booed.” But he was already hooked. They were booing him, and he kept going back. Of course, he succeeded — he started with no fear and started out of a burning desire to try. When the audience told him he’d failed, he tried again and again.

There were many years between Wood’s start and becoming a successful comic, but because he started with the right energy, he was on a course for success. To hear the whole story of how Wood became a comedian, watch him on “Masters of the Game,” now streaming on theGrio.

Toure is a host and writer at TheGrio. He hosts the TheGrio TV show “Masters of the Game,” and he created the award-winning podcast “Being Black: The ’80s” and its upcoming sequel “Being Black: The ’70s.” He is also the creator of “Star Stories” and the author of eight books, including “Nothing Compares 2 U An Oral History of Prince.” He also hosts a podcast called “Toure Show.” He is also a husband and a father of two.