Advance registration opens February 2. Admission is free and open to the public, thanks to generous donor support. Seating is limited, and advance registration is encouraged. The event will also be livestreamed on Endicott’s YouTube channel.
Best known for his eight-year tenure as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy-winning The Daily Show (2015–2023), Wood has become one of the most influential comedic voices examining politics, race, and American culture. His comedy special Lonely Flowers premiered on Hulu in January 2025 and his memoir, The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir, debuted in October 2025 and became an instant bestseller.
In spring 2023, Wood guest-hosted The Daily Show and headlined the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, drawing the event’s highest ratings since 2017. An Emmy-nominated documentary producer for PBS’s The Neutral Ground, Wood is widely respected for his ability to combine humor with moral clarity and social insight. He co-starred alongside Jon Hamm in Paramount Pictures’ long-awaited Fletch remake, Confess, Fletch (2022), and has made guest appearances in Only Murders in the Building, Better Call Saul, The Last O.G., and Space Force.
“This conversation reflects the Tadler Center’s commitment to bringing nationally recognized voices to campus to spark thoughtful, challenging, and timely dialogue, using humor, storytelling, and lived experience as tools for insight and connection,” said Charlotte Gordon, McCoy Endowed Distinguished Scholar and Director of the Tadler Center.
The evening will take the form of a moderated conversation, offering audiences a deeper look at Wood’s creative process, cultural commentary, and evolving role in American media.
Phoebe Potts, a Brooklyn native whose work blends humor, storytelling, and moral inquiry, will moderate the discussion. Potts is the creator and performer of Too Fat for China, a comedic theater work that chronicles her tragicomic journey through domestic and international adoption after infertility and loss, and an acclaimed graphic memoir, Good Eggs (Harper, 2010).
The event is presented by Endicott’s Tadler Center for the Humanities at Endicott College, which was founded in 2018 to enrich the intellectual life of the College and the surrounding community through the arts and humanities. Past speakers have included 20th Century Studios Vice Presidents Patrick and John Houlihan, public policy and public affairs expert Danielle Allen, author Stephanie Land, and MacArthur Fellow and author Kiese Laymon, among others.