Tony Woods: Bio, Comedy Style, and Where to Watch

Who is Tony Woods?

Tony Woods was born in New York, raised in Charlotte, North Carolina until age seven, then moved to Washington D.C. at age ten, spending his teens in Silver Spring, Maryland. He served in the U.S. Navy as a corpsman from 1989 to 1991 during Desert Storm. He did his first stand-up at the Comedy Café in Washington D.C. at age twenty-three, and his earliest comedy work took him to international stages across Europe and the Middle East before he built his domestic profile.

He is known in the comedy world as a mentor to Dave Chappelle. He was an original member of Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam on HBO and P. Diddy’s Bad Boys of Comedy. His television credits include Comedy Central Presents Tony Woods, the Comedy Central USO Tour, the Comedy Central World Comedy Tour, Last Comic Standing, A&E’s Caroline’s Comedy Hour, Showtime at the Apollo, and BET’s Comic View. He has been featured on the Funny or Die Oddball Comedy Tour. He has a strong following across the U.S., UK, Australia, and Europe. The New York Times described his style as “a laid-back, meditative style, a mellow brand of cool.”

Tony Woods’s Comedy Style

Woods is a veteran comedian whose influence on the generation of comedians who came up around him — including Dave Chappelle — is well documented. His style is observational and cool: unhurried delivery, mischievous material, and the kind of stage control that only comes from decades of performing for every type of crowd. The Navy corpsman background and the early international touring gave him a range of experience that shows in how relaxed he is at the microphone.

Where to Find Tony Woods

Find tour dates at whereistonywoods.com and follow on Instagram @tonywoodz.

Tony Woods has performed at the Comedy Cellar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Check the current lineup and upcoming shows at comedycellar.com.

Catch Comedy Cellar shows live from New York on Mint Comedy at watch.mintcomedy.com.