The comedian opens up about calling his mother to tell her she could finally retire—and then walking it back a few months later—as well as doing comedy at CNN and his new stand-up special “Lonely Flowers.

In between his many obligations, Wood Jr. caught up with TIME to discuss his time in the food service industry, the impact of President Trump’s victory on satire, and whether the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was a tougher room than the Apollo Theater. Here are excerpts from the conversation.

If you’ve been plugged into the stand-up comedy scene at all in the last decade or so, you’re likely well acquainted with the name Roy Wood Jr. The hilarious comedian, best known for his work as a long-time correspondent and occasional guest host on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,

The funny but bleak “Lonely Flowers,” isn’t directly about the new president, but it builds small observations into larger points about our lives.

Lonely Flowers,' the latest special from the former 'Daily Show' correspondent and current host of CNN's 'Have I Got News for You,' is now streaming

Roy Wood Jr. stepped away from his correspondent gig at The Daily Show amid speculation that he was in the running to take on the host-shaped hole left behind by Trevor Noah. “I just know that to figure out what I want to do next,

A good comedian has to "know what regular people are going through," he says. In his new Hulu special, Lonely Flowers, Wood riffs on how isolation has sent society spiraling.

In an hour about the challenge and importance of connecting with other people, Wood mostly dodges around his own place in that theme, his own difficulty feeling close to someone. When the closer finally arrives,

Roy Wood Jr looks at loneliness in our hyper-connected world. And makes it funny. Here's how to watch 'Roy Wood Jr: Lonely Flowers' online from anywhere in the world.