Roy Wood Jr. Reveals His Dad Basically Ghosted ‘Soul Train’
*Dude keeps the jokes comin’. Roy Wood Jr. may be a comedy genius, but apparently comedy—and missed TV fortunes—run in the family. While visiting “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the former “Daily Show” correspondent dropped a bomb about his dad, Roy Wood Sr., who unknowingly fumbled one of the most iconic shows in Black entertainment history.
According to Roy Jr., his father was *this close* to being a producer on “Soul Train”—but turned it down like it was a sketchy email from a Nigerian prince. The man said, and we quote, “Nobody wants to watch Black people dance for an hour. Give me my money back.” Oop.
Don Cornelius Was a Cop. Roy Sr. Heard That Voice and Knew it’s Worth
Here’s the wild origin story: Roy Wood Sr., a respected journalist at WVON, the legendary radio station in Chicago, was pulled over by a cop—none other than Don Cornelius. Instead of writing a ticket, Cornelius got offered a job in radio. That’s not career advice. That’s divine intervention.
Roy Jr. explained the moment like it was totally normal: “You have a deep voice, officer… come work at the radio station.” And just like that, Cornelius went from 5-0 to AM (radio), and the “Soul Train” journey began. Well, almost.
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How Roy Sr. Could’ve Been the Quincy Jones of Soul Train
Not only did Roy Sr. hire Cornelius, he *fronted* him cash for the “Soul Train” pilot. That’s like investing in Amazon and asking for a refund before it ships its first book.
When Cornelius came back offering equity instead of repayment, Roy Sr. opted out of becoming a television mogul and opted into legendary regret. Roy Jr. said it best: “It’s like being able to buy Bitcoin when it was 30 cents.” Yeah. But instead, his dad bought vibes.
‘Soul Train’ Was Joy, But Roy Sr. Was All About the Struggle
In defense of his dad’s historic fumble, Roy Jr. reminded Kimmel that his father was a global journalist, deeply immersed in covering Black struggle worldwide. So when Cornelius pitched him an hour of Black folks dancing, he was like: “Sir, this is a civil rights newsroom.”
He didn’t see it as a cultural revolution. He saw it as a budget line item with choreography. A tragic misunderstanding of joy’s place in the movement.
October 2, 1971, the first episode of ‘Soul Train’ premieres! pic.twitter.com/hKsiEGqtQE
— 247 Live Culture (@247LC) October 2, 2023
Roy Jr. Says ‘Soul Train’ Was Banned in His House
And just to put salt in the groove, err, wound, Roy Wood Sr. apparently refused to let his kids watch “Soul Train” after turning down the producer deal. That’s not just being a hater—that’s generational hate.
“He didn’t watch it. We couldn’t watch ‘Soul Train’ in the house,” Roy Jr. said, which is maybe why Roy Jr. became a comedian. That kind of trauma needs an outlet—and therapy bills ain’t cheap.
‘Soul Train’: The Missed Investment That Keeps on Dancing
Roy Wood Jr. may not have inherited any “Soul Train” checks, but he definitely inherited the storytelling skills. And honestly, this tale of missed opportunity is so absurd that it belongs in a Netflix comedy special.
As Roy Jr. put it, “What if we dance?” was not exactly a pitch his serious newsman dad was prepared to hear. And now, every rerun of “Soul Train” is basically a reminder that his dad passed on the smoothest bag in TV history.
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