Roy Wood Jr. Books a CNN Holiday Special—Produced By Have I Got News For You Team

Roy Wood Jr. is adding “holiday ringmaster” to his already busy résumé. CNN has just announced that Wood will host A CNN Special Event: Roy Wood Jr.’s Very Very Very Merry Holiday Special, premiering December 14.

The network says the hour will feature musical performances, comedy segments, and Wood’s signature riffing on the joys and rhythms of the season, all backed by the U.S. Air Force Band. It’s the first time CNN has launched its own holiday special—continuing the news network’s slow expansion into personality-driven tentpoles for New Year’s Eve, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving.

Since leaving The Daily Show in 2023, Wood has become CNN’s resident satirical voice—a late-night star who happens to sit on a news network’s schedule.

The new special re-teams the comic with Hat Trick Productions—the production company behind the stateside adaptation of Have I Got News For You, where Wood presides weekly alongside fellow late-night names Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black. The show has been a bright spot for CNN, drawing strong ratings on Saturday nights—traditionally a dead zone for cable news—and sometimes outperforming the network’s weekday primetime lineup.

The special will cap a busy year for Wood. In addition to his work on HIGNFY, he also hosted the Writers Guild Awards, the Peabody Awards, and co-hosted the MLB Awards with Mookie Betts. His fourth stand-up hour, Lonely Flowers, debuted on Hulu in January, and he recently joined the cast of Prime Video’s upcoming Barbershop series.

“I was hoping the White House ballroom would be done by then for us to shoot this special there but I’m understanding construction is a little behind,” Wood joked in the announcement. He added that the special lets him honor troops and government workers—while also giving him “an opportunity to re-wear my nice green jacket from the Peabody Awards but this time with a little red in it.”

A CNN Special Event: Roy Wood Jr.’s Very Very Very Merry Holiday Special airs Sunday, December 14 at 8pm ET on CNN and streams live for CNN All Access subscribers. It will also be available on demand after premiere.