Roy Wood Jr.âs Halloween costume on âThe Viewâ? A folding chair, as nod to Montgomery riverfront brawl
Some guys might choose a vampire, a pirate, a skeleton — or maybe one of the many Kens from the “Barbie” movie —as a Halloween costume in 2023. Roy Wood Jr. took a different approach for his Tuesday appearance on “The View,” showing up dressed as a folding chair.
People in Alabama watching the ABC talk show probably got the reference immediately. But Wood obligingly explained his choice when asked to do so by Whoopi Goldberg, moderator of “The View.”
The costume, Wood said, was a reference to the infamous Montgomery riverfront brawl that made national headlines in August. And yes, the comedian was wearing an actual metal folding chair, attached with straps to the front of an all-black outfit.
“What’s wrong?” Wood said, as the studio audience and “View” co-hosts erupted into laughter. “Black history right here; that’s all I’m doing. Well, as you know, the modern folding chair (was) invented by a Black inventor, Nathaniel Alexander, and a chair similar to this one was used earlier this year in Montgomery, Alabama, was used in, uh, we’ll just call it some peacekeeping efforts down on the water. That brother is currently awaiting trial.
“We do not condone violence; I don’t condone violence,” Wood continued. “But I’m just saying this chair is a symbol of, you know, why we need to … If they ain’t gonna put CRT in the schools, we’re gonna put CRT at the boat docks. That’s what that brother was doing down in Montgomery, he was just, you know, educating.”
Some background is in order here, for those who might not recall the details of the Aug. 5 melee in Montgomery. A fight broke out when group of people from a pontoon boat refused to move their boat while the Harriott II riverboat, a tourist attraction in Montgomery, was trying to dock in its designated spot. Videos from the brawl showed a Black riverboat co-captain being attacked by a group of white people as other Black people rushed to his defense.
Four white people were charged with misdemeanor assault as a result of the brawl, and one Black man, who police said was filmed swinging a folding chair and hitting people, was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. All five have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
As videos of the brawl went viral, the folding chair became known as a symbol of Black unity and resistance to racism, amid social media references to “Lift every chair and swing!”
Wood, 44, has referenced the brawl and folding chair in social media posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), and evidently saw an opportunity to showcase them again on “The View.”
Wood didn’t have a chance to develop the folding chair theme or talk more about critical race theory on “The View,” although he wore the chair throughout his appearance on the show. Co-host Sara Haines asked Wood about trick-or-treating in his hometown, and the comedian, who grew up in Birmingham, said his candy collecting at Halloween was a bit different from other children.
“I was a bit of a latchkey kid,” Wood said. “My dad worked at night and my mom was either in grad school, law school, there was always another degree to go get. So my mom had an hour from when she got home at 5 (p.m.) to when school started at 6, and she said, ‘We’re going to the store right now and I’m going to give you 20 dollars. The same candy you’re going door-to-door to get, it’s all right here in this bin.’ And we would pull up to Eckerd’s or Big B Drugs … And that’s what we would do.”
All of the co-hosts of “The View” — Goldberg, Haines, Ana Navarro, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin — were in costume for Tuesday’s Halloween episode, dressed as Disney characters ranging from Princess Jasmine from “Aladdin” to Cruella de Vil from “101 Dalmatians.” (ABC, home of “The View,” is owned by Disney Television Studios.)
Wood, who’s also an a writer, actor and producer, maintains strong ties to Birmingham and participates in several philanthropic projects here, including STAIR (Start the Adventure in Reading), a literacy organization for kids, and Workshops Empowerment Inc., a nonprofit group that provides job opportunities to people with disabilities.
Throughout November, Wood is appearing in Canada on his “Happy to Be Here” standup tour. He recently announced his exit from “The Daily Show,” where he appeared as a high-profile correspondent starting in 2015. During Wood’s tenure on the series, which airs on Comedy Central, he commented on everything from racism and white supremacy to gender issues and financial legislation. Wood covered pop culture, food, family dynamics, science, sports … you name it.
“I am excited to nurture new ideas and see what the future holds for me in the shifting sands of late night television, scripted comedy, and whatever else the comedy gods may have in store for me in 2024 and beyond,” Wood said in an Oct. 5 post on X, confirming his departure from “The Daily Show.”
Watch the full interview with Wood on “The View” in the video clip at the top of this post.