Latest news with #Kosta
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Daily Show' Has The Most Wicked Way GOP Can Get Back At Elon Musk's 'S**t' Talk
'Daily Show' correspondent Michael Kosta on Wednesday called out House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) over his reluctant response to Elon Musk's escalating attacks against President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' Kosta — while teeing up a clip of Johnson's monotonous response to Musk — said Republicans turning on the bill after just one post by Musk 'must really piss off' the House speaker who 'busted his balls for months' working on it. 'Don't take that shit, Mike!' said Kosta before serving a brutal diss of the former White House adviser. 'Tell that pasty, South African, belly-flashing, sperm-fountain, absent-baby-daddy, friendless, Ziploc-bag-full-of-jizz, ketamine —.' Kosta, after pausing for applause, piled on more insults, ' — ketamine-Rasputin, dead-eye-deadbeat, DOGE-donkey, Hitler-waving, semen-distributor where he can shove his tweets! Come on!' The comedian then turned to video of Johnson's humdrum words for Musk. 'With all due respect, my friend Elon is terribly wrong about the one big, beautiful bill.' Kosta made a mockery of the response. 'Ohhhh, my God none of them are good at this,' he said. Moments earlier, he clowned Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for her post-vote backlash against the bill Tuesday when she revealed she was 'adamantly OPPOSED' to a provision on artificial intelligence. He played a clip of Greene who, in remarks on the House floor, advised lawmakers to 'carefully' keep an eye on the bills they pass. Kosta chimed in, 'Yup, no shit!' 'I mean, congrats on coming out against a crazy thing in this bill but you weren't aware of what was in it? That's your job. This isn't book club. You can't just read the first seven pages and then be like, 'I love it, Linda, more rosé.'' Check out Kosta's Wednesday monologue on '.'
CNN
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
What's so funny about tennis? Daily Show's Michael Kosta says it could prepare you for a life in comedy
Have you heard the one about the funny tennis player? You probably haven't, by the nature of their work, they are notoriously serious people; but one man can vouch for them. Michael Kosta was once among the top-ranked tennis players in the world and now he's a successful, Emmy-winning comedian. His journey is as unorthodox as it is fascinating, and he says that it's tennis that made him funny, although he wasn't laughing much at the time. Kosta made it up to number 864 in the ATP singles rankings, which certainly makes him one of the best tennis players in the world. 'Just to give you some insight into how proud I am of that,' he told CNN Sports, 'I'm 45 years old now, I've been a comedian for 22 years and number 864 is still my email signature to this day.' But as he explains in his new book 'Lucky Loser,' there is nothing glamorous about the life of a tennis pro who is struggling to make it. He recalled a tournament in Mexico City where he had partnered with a college friend to split the cost of a hotel room: 'The draw came out and we were playing each other. I went to bed that night and said good night to my opponent, who then beat me the next day. 'He said, 'Well, now that I've qualified, I get a free hotel room. Do you want to stay with me?' So not only did I stay with the guy I was about to play, I then stayed with the guy who beat me. For some reason, I don't feel like Roger (Federer) and Rafa (Nadal) are managing that.' Despite having won so many junior trophies that his family had to rent a storage unit to keep them, he found himself living on a shoestring budget to try and keep his dream alive. Kosta traveled all over the world to try and make it as a professional. But in the end, he ran out of money and self-belief, he'd barely made $11,000 on the ATP Tour and he knew it was time to try something else. 'It's very, very tough,' he surmised. 'It sucks.' Kosta might not quite have realized it at the time, but the grind of being a wannabe tennis pro was preparing him for life as a comedian. 'You lose a lot when you're 864 in the world,' he told CNN. 'I would lose on a Monday or Tuesday, that would give me five or six days until the next tournament. Instead of obsessing over my matches or the difficult life I had chosen, I would write down these ideas, jokes and interactions that I thought were funny. It was a good way to decompress from the stress of it all.' Not only that, he understood that the tennis circuit was an interminable slog through some questionable establishments in backwater towns, the comedy circuit for a beginner would be no different. 'You're alone, you're problem solving,' he said of the similarities between the two professions. 'Playing tennis, dealing with difficult situations, gets you ready for the real world. 'I've done a bit, it's going great, and then the waitress trips and drops all the glasswear, or you get heckled, or the microphone goes out. I felt comfortable handling those situations because of tennis.' Is there any other sport where the loser has to give a speech? Tennis players learn to be good communicators. Kosta felt as though he had an advantage over many of the fledgling comedians he encountered at the start, he'd been coached to tuck his shirt in, shake hands with strength, look people in the eye and project confidence. He noted in Lucky Loser that the people telling jokes for a living were often the complete opposite. 'Comedians are dressed very poorly, many are noticeably drunk, half are not speaking clearly or are mumbling, they aren't making eye contact with the audience,' he wrote in the book. When he exchanged tennis sets for sets on stage, he brought an athlete's mentality to his craft. 'I remember these older comics would say, 'Man, it seems like when you have a bad set, you just keep going, it seems like it doesn't bother you.' And I go, 'Oh, I didn't know I was supposed to sit around and be sad about it, I just thought it was time to go practice!' 'The whole reason I've been able to climb up the comedy ladder is because I experienced loss and disappointment over and over again as a tennis player.' That's not to say that he ever enjoyed failing in either profession, but he discovered that a bad night on stage was much worse than a defeat on the court. 'Physically, emotionally,' he explained, 'to be a professional tennis player is harder than being a professional comedian. But to bomb a joke, the rejection is personal. When I lose, maybe my opponent played well, maybe I was injured. But to bomb a joke that came from your soul, when a group of people say, 'Absolutely not,' that hurts way more than losing 6-0, 6-0.' So, are tennis players funny? Kosta thinks some are, but they just can't show it. He recalls the impersonations that Novak Djokovic used to do at the start of his career, which he stopped because it was only fueling his opponents. 'I believe Iga Świątek is actually pretty funny, but when you're No. 1 in the world, everyone's trying to bring you down, she's reluctant to share it,' he said. 'Coco Gauff is remarkably light-hearted and goofy for someone who plays at such a high level, and I appreciate that so much.'
CNN
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
What's so funny about tennis? Daily Show's Michael Kosta says it could prepare you for a life in comedy
Have you heard the one about the funny tennis player? You probably haven't, by the nature of their work, they are notoriously serious people; but one man can vouch for them. Michael Kosta was once among the top-ranked tennis players in the world and now he's a successful, Emmy-winning comedian. His journey is as unorthodox as it is fascinating, and he says that it's tennis that made him funny, although he wasn't laughing much at the time. Kosta made it up to number 864 in the ATP singles rankings, which certainly makes him one of the best tennis players in the world. 'Just to give you some insight into how proud I am of that,' he told CNN Sports, 'I'm 45 years old now, I've been a comedian for 22 years and number 864 is still my email signature to this day.' But as he explains in his new book 'Lucky Loser,' there is nothing glamorous about the life of a tennis pro who is struggling to make it. He recalled a tournament in Mexico City where he had partnered with a college friend to split the cost of a hotel room: 'The draw came out and we were playing each other. I went to bed that night and said good night to my opponent, who then beat me the next day. 'He said, 'Well, now that I've qualified, I get a free hotel room. Do you want to stay with me?' So not only did I stay with the guy I was about to play, I then stayed with the guy who beat me. For some reason, I don't feel like Roger (Federer) and Rafa (Nadal) are managing that.' Despite having won so many junior trophies that his family had to rent a storage unit to keep them, he found himself living on a shoestring budget to try and keep his dream alive. Kosta traveled all over the world to try and make it as a professional. But in the end, he ran out of money and self-belief, he'd barely made $11,000 on the ATP Tour and he knew it was time to try something else. 'It's very, very tough,' he surmised. 'It sucks.' Kosta might not quite have realized it at the time, but the grind of being a wannabe tennis pro was preparing him for life as a comedian. 'You lose a lot when you're 864 in the world,' he told CNN. 'I would lose on a Monday or Tuesday, that would give me five or six days until the next tournament. Instead of obsessing over my matches or the difficult life I had chosen, I would write down these ideas, jokes and interactions that I thought were funny. It was a good way to decompress from the stress of it all.' Not only that, he understood that the tennis circuit was an interminable slog through some questionable establishments in backwater towns, the comedy circuit for a beginner would be no different. 'You're alone, you're problem solving,' he said of the similarities between the two professions. 'Playing tennis, dealing with difficult situations, gets you ready for the real world. 'I've done a bit, it's going great, and then the waitress trips and drops all the glasswear, or you get heckled, or the microphone goes out. I felt comfortable handling those situations because of tennis.' Is there any other sport where the loser has to give a speech? Tennis players learn to be good communicators. Kosta felt as though he had an advantage over many of the fledgling comedians he encountered at the start, he'd been coached to tuck his shirt in, shake hands with strength, look people in the eye and project confidence. He noted in Lucky Loser that the people telling jokes for a living were often the complete opposite. 'Comedians are dressed very poorly, many are noticeably drunk, half are not speaking clearly or are mumbling, they aren't making eye contact with the audience,' he wrote in the book. When he exchanged tennis sets for sets on stage, he brought an athlete's mentality to his craft. 'I remember these older comics would say, 'Man, it seems like when you have a bad set, you just keep going, it seems like it doesn't bother you.' And I go, 'Oh, I didn't know I was supposed to sit around and be sad about it, I just thought it was time to go practice!' 'The whole reason I've been able to climb up the comedy ladder is because I experienced loss and disappointment over and over again as a tennis player.' That's not to say that he ever enjoyed failing in either profession, but he discovered that a bad night on stage was much worse than a defeat on the court. 'Physically, emotionally,' he explained, 'to be a professional tennis player is harder than being a professional comedian. But to bomb a joke, the rejection is personal. When I lose, maybe my opponent played well, maybe I was injured. But to bomb a joke that came from your soul, when a group of people say, 'Absolutely not,' that hurts way more than losing 6-0, 6-0.' So, are tennis players funny? Kosta thinks some are, but they just can't show it. He recalls the impersonations that Novak Djokovic used to do at the start of his career, which he stopped because it was only fueling his opponents. 'I believe Iga Świątek is actually pretty funny, but when you're No. 1 in the world, everyone's trying to bring you down, she's reluctant to share it,' he said. 'Coco Gauff is remarkably light-hearted and goofy for someone who plays at such a high level, and I appreciate that so much.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Daily Show' Unloads On Pam Bondi's 'Bulls**t' Trump Claim: 'You Sound High As F**k!'
'Daily Show' correspondent Michael Kosta roasted Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday over her bold claim that Donald Trump saved the lives of 258 million Americans due to fentanyl seizures since the start of his second term. '258 million lives? What is happening here? At the rate Trump is saving lives, death will cease to exist by August,' Kosta joked. Kosta noted that Bondi's 'outrageous' claim sprouted up Monday on Fox News when she credited the Drug Enforcement Administration for seizing 21 million fentanyl-laced pills, which she believed saved 21 million lives as a result. Kosta, who joked about the figure being way off from the number of annual deaths due to fentanyl, then turned to a clip where Bondi 'corrected herself' two days later on Fox News. 'Since he's been in office, DEA has taken 22.2 million fentanyl pills off the streets,' she claimed. 'This is 119 million lives Donald Trump has saved since January. Pretty remarkable.' The comedian remarked that Bondi's increased figure represents roughly one-third of the U.S. population. 'Are you on the fent because you sound high as fuck right now, OK?' he joked. Bondi, in a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, shifted further from her original claim. ″[The efforts] saved — are you ready for this, media? — 258 million lives,' she added. Kosta said there's 'no way anybody could ever have been ready' for the figure including Vice President JD Vance, who looked emotionless as he gently nodded after hearing the claim. 'I've never seen a man blink, 'What the fuck is this woman talking about?'' Kosta quipped. He then declared that Vance knows the claim is 'bullshit.' 'He went to Yale, right? It's no Harlem University but they know math,' said Kosta in a nod to Trump's confusing town hall response on Wednesday. Check out Kosta's Thursday monologue on 'The Daily Show.' 'Daily Show' Rips Trump For Not Recognizing 1 Key Piece Of American History Stephen Colbert Catches Trump In The Middle Of A Massive Hypocrisy 'This Couldn't Look Worse!': Jimmy Kimmel Nails Trump's 'Most Disturbing Moment Yet'
CBS News
12-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Colorado pilot volunteers to fly patients to Denver for lifesaving treatments
Angel Flight is an organization of volunteers saving countless lives. At the Colorado Air and Space Port, angels are regulars. On Friday afternoon, a plane landed at the airport carrying special cargo. 7-year-old Itzy and her mom Mirna were picked up from their home in smalltown Kansas in the morning. Itzy has a routine checkup at Children's Hospital Colorado now that she's in remission from leukemia. She's flown around 60 flights over her 3-and-a-half year battle, and the staff at Colorado Air and Space Port have grown to love her. Angel flight pilot Kosta Constantine and his wife and mission assistant, Nancy, feel the same. "It's been a wonderful experience for us," said Kosta. "I mean, we play such a small part. Certainly, the doctors in Kansas and the children's hospital, they're a miracle for her." Angel Flight connects volunteer pilots who own planes with patients who need help traveling to receive medical care. Kosta and Nancy have flown nearly 100 missions, for free. "There's a need," said Kosta in response to why he volunteers his time and resources. "A big need. And Itzy and the Herreras are just one family that need, and we've flown so many others." For Mirna Herrera, the Angel Flights crew is a blessing. Itzy's closest option for treatment is a 5-hour drive to Denver. "Nancy and Kosta are my angels," said Herrera. "Just out of their kindness, of their heart, wanting to be here for us, for something so terrible that you know the outcome of it, but you know that God shows His face through wonderful people." Kosta and Nancy have taken a weight off their shoulders. "We've gotten to experience a lot of flights and every fight, we go to sleep," Herrera laughed. "That's the most peaceful time I think we've had." Together, the group has experienced both the highs and lows of Itzy's battle. The Constantines celebrated Itzy ringing the bell, cancer free, a year ago. "It's tremendous," said Kosta about having the opportunity to be at the ringing. "For me, it was a relief knowing that she was at the end of her treatment." And whatever the future holds, they'll be in it together. "He's always checking on her and making sure that you know she's doing good," said Herrera. "Always him and Nancy. We've gone through so many good things and bad things, but mostly good." Each year, Angel Flight hosts a "Runway 5K" at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield called the Run for the Angels 5K to help raise money for their efforts. Part of the run is on the runway of the airport. This year, the race will be held on Sept. 25.
