Beyond the Scenes from The Daily Show

In honor of Veterans Day, we observe the contributions of Black service members like The Harlem Hellfighters and the Tuskegee Airmen. In this episode, Host Roy Wood Jr. chats with the cofounder of the Black Veterans Project, Richard Brookshire and the author of “Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad,” Matthew F. Delmont. They discuss the racism...

Transracial adoption has increased over the years and the experience of being raised by adoptive parents of a different race is not without complications. Host Roy Wood Jr. chats with author of the book,  All You Can Ever Know, Nicole Chung, and author of the book, Surviving the White Gaze, Rebecca Carroll, about their first-hand experiences as transracial adoptees. They discuss their upbringings...

The Rooney Rule came into effect in 2003 to increase the number of Black head coaches in the NFL. Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the league exposed how team owners don’t take this rule as seriously as they should. Host Roy Wood Jr. sits with CBS Mornings co-host, Nate Burleson, and former New York Jets coach, Collette V. Smith, to discuss the lack of diversity in the NFL’s head coaching positions a...

In honor of Halloween season, host Roy Wood Jr. takes us back to his discussion on the roles Black actors are typecast into in horror movies and how Black filmmakers work to expand these roles beyond their stereotypes. He sits with Daily Show writer Ashton Womack, filmmaker and executive producer of Shudder’s Horror Noire documentary Tananarive Due, author and screenwriter Steven Barnes, and autho...

The Cleveland Guardians and the Washington Commanders have changed their brands away from anti-Native imagery and slurs, but there are still a few sports teams who capitalize off of racist stereotypes. Sports journalist Bomani Jones and Crystal Echo Hawk, executive director of IllumiNative and citizen of Pawnee, join Roy Wood Jr. to discuss the harm posed by Native imagery in sports branding, how...

Children’s books craft the way a young person sees the world, and this view carries on well into adulthood. Daily Show researcher Stephanie O. and CEO, founder, and author of Hey Carter! Books, Dr. Thomishia Booker, sit with Roy Wood Jr. to discuss the importance of positively representing Black boys in children’s literature to help them develop their own sense of self.   Watch the Original Segmen...

Virgil Abloh, Zelda Wynn Valdes, and Stephen Burrows are iconic and influential Black designers, but the  fashion industry has had a long history of racism, classism, and nepotism. Host Roy Wood Jr. chats with Daily Show producer, Chelsea Williamson, CEO of Harlem’s Fashion Row, Brandice Daniel & Editor in Chief at The Cut, Lindsay Peoples about the influence Black culture has had on fashion and t...

Books are being banned from schools and public libraries at alarming rates, and stories from LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC authors are disproportionately being pulled from shelves. How do book bans harm learning and access to information? What do these challenges say about the American educational system? Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom a...

Beyoncé and Drake released house music albums this year, leaving fans confused by their shift from pop-soul sounds to dance beats. Despite popular belief, house music comes from the the 70s disco era and fostered a safe space for Black and queer folk to feel true liberation. Daily Show producer, Chelsea Williamson, house music great, DJ Derrick Carter, and music scholar and writer, Craig Seymour,...

From hashtag activism to action offline, Black Twitter has been a vehicle for real change. Host Roy Wood Jr. chats with author of the book, Black AF: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America, Michael Harriot and Professor of Media Studies at Northeastern University, Meredith D. Clark about how Black Twitter has changed the narrative around policing, its influence on elections, how Black Twitter bailed...

The number of white Brooklyn residents has increased over the years while Black residents have been displaced. Host Roy Wood Jr. chats with Daily Show segment producer, Jordana Hemingway and urban planner and Pratt Institute professor, Ronald Shiffman to discuss how gentrification directly impacts the displacement of people and culture, the relationship between gentrification and policing, and how...

The cannabis industry brings in billions of dollars in legal revenue, with Big Cannabis companies leading the charge. However, cannabis offenders remain incarcerated and federal restrictions prevent them from legally benefitting from this thriving industry. BOWL PAC founder, Justin Strekal, and author of Bending the Arc: My Journey From Prison to Politics, Keeda J. Haynes, join host Roy Wood Jr. t...

From the One Drop Rule to low essence media stereotypes, America continues to attempt to fit Blackness into a box. This has led to Black folks policing their own Blackness and divisions based on colorism and ethnic backgrounds. Daily Show writer Ashton Womack, and Yaba Blay, author of the book One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race, join Host Roy Wood Jr. to attempt to define Blackness as an ideology...

Flight attendants function as first responders in the sky and have to deal with unruly passengers, staff shortages, and flight cancellations. Season 2 of Beyond the Scenes takes flight with host Roy Wood Jr., who chats with Daily Show writer and frequent flier, Kat Radley, and the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants, Sara Nelson. They discuss the drive to unionize Delta...

The Daily Show: Beyond the Scenes is back for season 2. Host Roy Wood Jr. dives further into segments and topics covered on The Daily Show — from racial injustice to gun control to K-pop. Each week, he’s joined by Daily Show writers, producers, correspondents, as well as outside experts to unpack a different topic or segment in a way that's hilarious, nuanced, and compelling. New episodes are avai...

Get ready for the best moments about our favorite topic…racism! Beyond the Scenes host Roy Wood Jr. first chats with former Daily Show producer, CJ Hunt, to discuss white Boston natives’ disconnect with the racism in their city. Next, Roy’s back with CJ and leading scholar, Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, to talk about the fate of critical race theory. Roy then chats with Daily Show writer, Randall O...

We’re taking a look back at some of the best guest experts on Beyond the Scenes, from members of Congress to medical professions, even professional singer/songwriters. First, Roy sits down with Congresswoman Jackie Speier to discuss the Pink Tax and the challenges of being a female consumer. He’s also joined by doctor of nursing, Dr. Christopher Friese to discuss how nurses are managing during the...

Let’s take a look at episodes this season that highlight Black representation in movies and television. Host Roy Wood Jr. sits with Daily Show writer, Josh Johnson, and JumpStart Comics creator, Robb Armstrong, to discuss how the first Black Peanuts cartoon character, Franklin, brightened the lives of young Black children. Next, Daily Show writer, Ashton Womack, filmmaker, Tananarive Due, author a...

What is it like deep inside the MAGAverse? Host Roy Wood Jr. revisits his conversation with Jordan Klepper and segment director Ian Berger as they recount their wild experiences at Trump rallies. Later, he’s joined by correspondent Desi Lydic, senior producer Matt Negrin, and CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy to discuss the Daily Show digital segment “Desi Lydic Foxsplains” and the role journ...

In the premiere episode of their new podcast, Hold Up, Daily Show correspondent Dulcé Sloan and Daily Show writer Josh Johnson debate the merits of two pillars of hip-hop: conscious rap and club bangers. Kendrick Lamar or Drake? J. Cole or Future? Movement music or ratchet beats? Dulcé and Josh leave no stone unturned.   Listen to Hold Up, available wherever you get your podcasts: https://podcasts...

From the recording studio to the White House, Women have played an important role in shaping history. We take a look back at some of Roy’s favorite Beyond the Scenes moments from Season 1 that celebrate female trailblazers. Roy is joined by CNN contributor Kate Andersen Brower and producer Jeff Gussow to discuss the historical impact of America’s first ladies. Next, he chats with Daily Show corres...

On this special episode of Beyond the Scenes, Daily Show correspondent Dulcé Sloan and writer Josh Johnson join Roy Wood Jr. to talk about their new podcast, Hold Up! The two discuss the relatively inconsequential topics they plan to debate, beginning with the one that started it all: the merits of Crime Mob’s 2004 hit, “Knuck If You Buck.”   Listen to Hold Up wherever you get your podcasts: https...

Over the past year, near-total abortion bans have been instituted across America, including in Texas and Oklahoma. In December 2021, Beyond the Scenes host Roy Wood Jr. sat down with Texas-based OB/GYN and abortion provider, Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, to discuss Texas’s new policies. In light of the Supreme Court leak that threatens Roe v. Wade, Dr. Moayedi rejoins Roy and executive director and founde...

There’s been a number of pieces of anti-trans legislation introduced around the country, with more than 300 bills proposed this year. In this episode, host Roy Wood Jr. sits down with ACLU Deputy Director for Transgender Justice, Chase Strangio, and author of “The Present Age” newsletter, Parker Molloy, to discuss the motivation behind these bills and how the attacks from conservatives have evolve...

In light of recent mass shootings in America, we revisit a piece we did on how Switzerland is able to have so many guns per capita, but no mass shootings. Host Roy Wood Jr. sits down with correspondent Michael Kosta, field producer Stacey Angeles, and their producer from Switzerland, Pierre-Adrian Irlé to discuss how the country’s approach to military service and common sense laws have created a s...