Comedian Roy Wood Jr., an alumnus of Florida A&M University, has done his part to give back to U.S. troops overseas by sending them his recorded prank calls.
Wood has appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” Comedy Central’s “Bob & Tom Comedy Tour,” BET’s “Comic View,” “It’s Showtime at The Apollo” and “The Bob & Tom Radio Show.”
Wood said he was influenced to send his comedy skits to the troops after he was bombarded with requests.
“I would get e-mails from the family and friends of troops in Iraq saying that they heard my prank call skit and loved it,” Wood said. “So I would e-mail the troops some of my material on behalf of their loved ones. The demand of the prank calling material was high, so it was like a light bulb went to my head to make an album and send it to the active troops. It has been going on strong for about a year.”
Some students who have heard Wood on the radio said they appreciate the effort he has put forth to bring laughter to the armed forces.
Angela Brown, 21, a junior biology student from Fort Lauderdale, praised Wood’s decision to entertain the U.S. military abroad.
“I think it is good that he entertains the troops while they protect us,” Brown said. “The men and women overseas are under tremendous stress and are put in dangerous situations daily, so Roy taking a little stress off their minds in the form of laughter is commendable.”
Dana Bryant, 20, a junior health information management student from Hollywood, Fla., also said she appreciated what Wood is doing. “Roy Wood is very funny, and he always makes me laugh,” Bryant said. “It is amazing to see a comedian taking the time out to address a serious matter by giving comfort to the defense forces in the form of laughter.”
Wood graduated in 2001 from FAMU with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. He said through his time attending FAMU, his favorite teacher was journalism professor Kenneth Jones.
“Kenneth Jones helped me grow as a man, and he is the only one that gave a d*** outside the classroom,” Wood said.
Professor Jones said he always thought Woods would be a force to reckon with in the entertainment industry.
“Roy was always such a hard worker, and I knew he would be successful in the entertainment field because he had a lot of tenacity in and outside the school,” Jones said.
To hear some of Wood’s prank calls, visit RoyWoodJr.com.