ROY WOOD JR. SET AS HOST OF THE 85TH ANNUAL PEABODY AWARDS
Athens, GA (March 25, 2025) – Stand-up comic, television personality and Emmy-nominated documentary producer Roy Wood Jr. will host the 85th Annual Peabody Awards ceremony, which pays tribute to storytelling that reflects the social issues and emerging voices of our day. This year’s event is set for June 1, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. This is Wood’s first time hosting, and the second consecutive year the ceremony has been held in Southern California.
Wood is the host of the popular CNN series “Have I Got News for You,” which takes a comedic look at the top news stories of the day. He also recently released his fourth stand-up comedy special “Lonely Flowers” on Hulu. Wood first gained fame as a correspondent on the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Comedy Central series “The Daily Show,” and recently headlined the iconic White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The Peabody Awards honors stories that defend public interest, encourage empathy and expand our understanding of the world. Respected for its integrity and revered for its standards of excellence, the Peabody, which is chosen each year by a diverse Board of Jurors through unanimous vote, is an honor like no other for television, podcast/radio, and immersive and interactive media. Awards will be given in the following categories: entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, immersive and interactive media, and public service programming.
“No higher honor than to be in the room as we celebrate some of our generation’s best storytellers and reflect upon the ways in which we can all contribute to bettering the times we are in,” said Wood. “I am also there because there is a free dinner…. at least I’m assuming there is dinner……..there better be some damn food, that’s all I know.”
Nominees for the 2025 Peabody Awards will be announced on April 15 and 17, with winners announced on May 1.
Past Peabody Award winners include some of the most beloved and groundbreaking series of all time, including “Hill Street Blues,” “Murphy Brown,” “The Wire,” “Veep,” The Sopranos,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Office” and “Succession”, and limited/mini-series including “Roots,” “Tales of the City,” “Chernobyl,” and “Dopesick.” Children’s and youth honorees have included “ABC Afterschool Specials,” “Bluey” and “Doc McStuffins,” while landmark educational programs such as “Cosmos” and “NOVA” have also been honored. Peabody began recognizing Interactive and Immersive Media in 2021, with organizations such as The New Yorker, The Washington Post and The New York Times receiving honors.