GUEST POST: Roy Wood Jr. Is Paying Attention To Niles Abston

(And you should too.)

Hello, my name is Tim Barnes and I’m one of those multi-hyphenates you’re always hearing about. My particular mix of crafts include standup, TV writing, and podcast producing. In fact, my You Are The Genre podcast is an attempt at fusing all of those skills to find out how creatives – often comedy-centered multi-hyphenates – have carved legitimate paths for themselves while staying true to their genuine interests. In this guest post series with Cramer Comedy Newsletter, I’ll pinpoint connections between the paths of well-established comedians and comedians on the rise and share my insights from my conversations with them.

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One of the funniest, hardest working, and intentional comedians today is Roy Wood Jr. The New York Times once published a profile describing him as following the the footsteps of the legendary Dick Gregory. However, when I asked him about it on You Are The Genre, he said:

“I don't consider myself anywhere close because Dick Gregory was an activist who happened to be funny. We call him a comedian because there's no other activist comedian. There's no word for “activist comedian” combo meal.”

Now, that could be his way of morphing into Indiana Jones and dodging the many booby traps that come attached with the stamp of “seriousness” for comedians, but the fact remains that there’s something about Roy that makes people lean in for nuggets of wisdom.

I’ve been lucky enough to interview Roy twice. Once, in 2016 when I was new to New York and he was new to The Daily Show, and most recently on You Are The Genre during his post-Daily Show journey in 2024 (notably, before he became host of CNN’s Have I Got News For You):

From both conversations I gleaned how strategic, studied, and purposeful he is on stage and off. So, when a comedian of his stature throws flowers at a comedian on the rise, comedy fans and industry insiders should take notice.

January saw the release of two projects with Roy Wood Jr.’s name.

First, his incredible Hulu special, Roy Wood Jr. : Lonely Flowers, which centers around the modern need for authentic connection:

And second, comedian and screenwriter Nile’s Abston’s short film, ‘98 HONDA – which Roy Wood Jr. executive produced along with fellow Daily Show correspondent, Ronny Chieng:

According to IMDB, ‘98 HONDA is likely the third project Wood Jr. has executive produced that isn’t a starring vehicle for himself. The first being the documentary, The Neutral Ground (2021), directed by former Daily Show producer C.J. Hunt, and the second being the short film, Alone Together (2021), directed by C. Craig Patterson, who also directed Roy’s specials Imperfect Messenger and Lonely Flowers.

Before my recent conversation with ‘98 HONDA writer and star, Niles Abston, I assumed there was no similar workplace connection leading up to Roy’s attachment to the film as executive producer. But, as Niles explained, I just needed to dig a little deeper...

“I really appreciate Roy,” Niles explained on the podcast. “Roy got me started, man. I owe him a hell of a lot, really.”

It turns out that after reading a viral Atlanta spec script that Niles published online, Roy contacted the then 22-ish Niles and gave him his first official writing gig, collaborating on sketches to promote Roy’s Father Figure special.

“...And so Comedy Central is not doesn't know who I am. Roy is paying me to write these and flies me out, puts me in a hotel. So I show up to set in New York is the first time I ever met him. He's like, ‘Yo, shit was hilarious, man. Let's go shoot this stuff.’”

It’s one of those dream scenarios for a young comedian, and is yet another example of Roy staying current, evolving with the comedy game, and turning a fleeting internet interaction into a genuine one.

So, what can we learn from the careers of Roy Wood Jr. and Niles Abston? Inspired by the three questions I ask on You Are The Genre, here are three points of connection between the past, present, and future of their separate journeys.