Jon Stewart Shocked His Staffer Won A Pedro Pascal Lookalike Contest
On Tuesday, The Daily Show shared a behind-the-scenes clip to its X account in which Jon Stewart revealed to fans that the winner of a New York-based Pedro Pascal lookalike contest was George Gountas — who happens to be the lighting designer for The Daily Show.
After inviting Gountas on stage, who looks like he could be a long-lost member of Pascal's family, Stewart made a confession.
'I've never noticed he looks like Pedro Pascal,' Stewart admitted, before showing a photo of what Gountas typically looks like in the office, which looks less like Pascal, but still very Pascal-esque.
'How did you do this?' Stewart asked Gountas.
Gountas then launched into a very funny explanation as to how he went from 'Pedro No. 5' during a silly contest on Sunday to its ultimate winner.
Gountas explained that a fellow Daily Show staffer noticed fliers for the contest last week. The contest was held at Son Del North, a Mexican restaurant in the lower east side, and the prize for the winner was $50 and a year's supply of free burritos, according to local news station FOX 5 New York.
The co-owner of the eatery, chef Annisha Garcia, told People she was inspired to create the contest after coming across an interview with Pascal in which he said that there isn't any 'good Mexican food in New York City.' Gountas went on to tell Stewart about the contest, who was only mildly interested, and completely forgot about it. That was until he mentioned it to his wife, Jenny, just two days before the contest — and Jenny told Gountas he was absolutely doing it.
Contesting whether Gountas liked it or not, Jenny enlisted the help of a neighbor, who was a stylist, in order to pin down Pascal's look.
'And I showed up on Father's Day — you were supposed to pre-sign up, I did not sign up,' Gountas said. 'I rolled up, and I was like, 'Yo, I'm here.' And they're like, 'You're going to win.''
And he did.
The winner of Pedro Pascal lookalike contest in New York City
📹 jameskleinmann | instagram pic.twitter.com/cSoX9OCq9X
— Pedro Pascal Daily (@pascalarchive) June 15, 2025
@pascalarchive/X/jameskleinmann / Via x.com
Later on in his discussion with Stewart, Gountas eventually revealed that his wife had an ulterior motive in her insistence that he enter the Pedro pageant — and it's that she wanted to use Gountas' 15 minutes of fame to meet the real Pascal.
So, Gountas decided to be a good hubby and shared his wife's request on camera in hopes that Pascal would receive the message.
'Hey Pedro, this is Pedro No. 5 from New York,' Gountas began. 'It would be a great, great, great gift if you could meet my wife, Jenny. It would mean the world to her. We need to make this happen.'
The winner of the Pedro Pascal lookalike contest is also The Daily Show's lighting designer, George Gountas! #AfterTheCut pic.twitter.com/PTrVURVnLS
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 17, 2025
Although it's currently unclear if Pascal is even aware of this whole fiasco, fans of the Daily Show were blown away by how much Gountas does look like the Last of Us star. See their comments below.
whoa...seriously? I almost feel like that is Pedro Pascal and they're punking us. Anyway Pedro has to meet Jenny he just has to!
— Nice4What (@mizztotal) June 18, 2025
@mizztotal/X / Via x.com
@dailyshow should change their intro to say "now featuring pedro pascal on camera 2"
— Lucas Lyons (@lucaslyonsart) June 18, 2025
@lucaslyonsart/X / Via x.com
Pretty amazing!!! He's got the body language dialed in.
— Wear your masks (@tonyver45) June 18, 2025
@tonyver45/X / Via x.com
He's got the mannerisms down! If that's not him trying to do that, it's even more eerie
— j🍥 (@Noteless) June 17, 2025
@Noteless/X / Via x.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
27 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Why Sydney Sweeney Turns Down Characters like ‘Euphoria's' Cassie
In this deeply personal conversation series, WSJ. Magazine's cover stars talk about 'the one' secret to their success—the one mentor they lean on in a crisis, the one habit they wish they could break, the one call that changed their lives changed forever. From actor Nicole Kidman to The Daily Show host Trevor Noah to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, iconic cultural figures open up to WSJ.
New York Times
27 minutes ago
- New York Times
Carrie Coon Is Scratching an Itch, Starring in ‘Bug' on Broadway
Carrie Coon is coming to Broadway this winter in 'Bug,' a play about paranoia and surveillance (and aphids) written by her husband, Tracy Letts. It will be the third play in short order to transfer to Broadway from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company, following Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's 'Purpose,' which opened in March and then in June won the best play Tony Award, and Samuel D. Hunter's 'Little Bear Ridge Road,' which is scheduled to open in October. 'Bug' will make its Broadway debut 30 years after it was first staged in London. The play has had several productions since, including Off Broadway in 2004, and it was adapted into a film in 2007. (Both starred Michael Shannon.) The Steppenwolf production, which also starred Coon, began in 2020, was shut down by the Covid pandemic, and then resumed performances in late 2021. Coon, a stage veteran known to television viewers for 'The Gilded Age' and 'The White Lotus,' will star alongside Namir Smallwood, Randall Arney, Jennifer Engstrom and Steve Key. All five also appeared in the Chicago production, which was directed by David Cromer (a Tony winner for 'The Band's Visit'). The Broadway production, also directed by Cromer, is to start previews Dec. 17 and to open Jan. 8 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater. Set in Oklahoma, 'Bug' is about a waitress (Coon) who meets a drifter in a motel. The motel has an insect problem; the characters have drug and relationship problems, and the combination leads to paranoid fears about government experiments. The critic Ben Brantley, reviewing the Off Broadway production, called it 'obscenely exciting.' 'Bug' joins James Graham's 'Punch,' which opens next month, and David Lindsay-Abaire's 'The Balusters,' which opens next spring, to make up MTC's 2025-26 Broadway season. The nonprofit's Off Broadway lineup will include a fall production of Martyna Majok's 'Queens' (which begins previews in October) and a winter production of Ngozi Anyanwu's 'The Monsters.' Though this is the first Broadway production for 'Bug,' Letts has worked on Broadway both as a writer and performer, winning Tony Awards in both categories — as the playwright of 'August: Osage County' and as a star of a 2012 revival of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' Coon's only previous Broadway credit was in a supporting role in that same revival of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' — she was nominated for a Tony Award for her work in that show.
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
Very Best Day in Austin with JJ Gottsch
This weekend is Gambler Days, when Austin's local professional bull riding squad competes at the Moody Center against teams from around the country. Why it matters: The Gamblers are the defending champs on the PBR circuit, and are now second in the league. We caught up with Gamblers CEO JJ Gottsch, 53, who lives near Camp Mabry, as part of our occasional series asking Austinites about their ideal day. For the record: Gottsch has never topped a live bull — but he has ridden a mechanical one. "But that's like comparing riding a bicycle to a Lamborghini," he tells Axios. How are you starting your day? "I get up early, around sunrise, and go to Mount Bonnell. If there's not a lot of traffic on the water, I'll go down to Lake Austin, when the water is like glass, and go out with some friends and wake surf." What about breakfast? "I like to find a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. I'm going for migas, my wife for huevos rancheros. I like Nuevo Mexico, by Lamar and 183." How does your afternoon look? "I like to head for Perla's for lunch. They've got some monster tiger shrimp, the BBQ style. You get your hands dirty and it's fantastic every time. The appetizer will fill you." What are you doing for dinner? " Fonda San Miguel. I'm getting the chipotle shrimp." A double shrimp day?! "I've got to watch out for gout."
