Michael Kosta
About Michael Kosta
Michael Kosta, born September 27, 1979, is an American stand-up comedian and former professional tennis player. He is an Emmy award-winning rotating host and senior correspondent of The Daily Show, where he was hired as a correspondent in 2017 and was the most-watched guest host in 2023. He has also hosted The Comment Section for the E! Network with producer Joel McHale and co-hosted Fox Sports 1's Crowd Goes Wild. His one-hour stand-up special for Comedy Central debuted in 2020.
Kosta was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and went to Huron High School before attending the University of Illinois, where he played on four Big Ten Championship tennis teams. After earning a bachelor's degree in Speech Communications in 2002, he played tennis on the ITF and ATP tour for two years and was once ranked #864 in the world before being hired as the Assistant Men's Tennis Coach for the University of Michigan. While coaching, he began to explore stand-up comedy, and in 2005 he began a full-time job as a stand-up comic based in Los Angeles.
Kosta has had major appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Conan, Chelsea Lately, and Late Night with Seth Meyers, as well as a half-hour Comedy Central Presents special in January 2011. In 2015, he released his first comedy album, Comedy For Attractive People, on Comedy Dynamics Records, and in 2022 he released his one-hour Comedy Central special Michael Kosta: Detroit. NY. LA. He has been a rotating co-host of The Daily Show since 2024. He hosts his own podcast, Tennis Anyone, and in 2025 released a memoir, Lucky Loser: Adventures in Tennis and Comedy, published by Harper Influence. He is married with two children.
Videos (492)
Videos 1 to 24 of 492.
1:33Mark Carney great stick handling | Michael Kosta
968.6K views
1:02More and more Americans are organizing and expressing their discontent. All sides welcome.
730.9K views
0:13New hack unlocked
81.5K views
38:18Tennis Anyone w/ Michael Kosta | Stephen Colbert & My Love of Late Night
63.6K views
1:29This is your life. Thank you Molly Shannon for being so open & vulnerable. You're a true SuperStar!
43.4K views
6:01Michael Kosta stand up comedy
40.4K views
0:13Say something in Mandarin
34K views
0:52When I Was On Name That Tune
30K views
0:5920/40 Anyone else feel the same way? What are your examples?
28.4K views
0:59They are radicalizing me.
28.2K views
39:25New Material: Making Fun of ICE, Cold Weather & An Almost Dry January | Michael Kosta | FULL SET
26.5K views
42:02New Material: Iran War Makes No Sense, Ranting Against Pickleball, & Jokes About March | FULL SET
22.1K views
0:53The Level of Trump's Presidential Communication
19.4K views
0:16USA quick thoughts
18.8K views
0:29New York City baby.
17.9K views
3:18Michael Kosta annoyed at texters
15.9K views
0:55The Truth About ICE Training | Michael Kosta
15.8K views
0:48Some Kosta thoughts on our current southern border situation…
14K views
0:52Anyone else have this same wife?
13.8K views
0:19Ridiculous I wasn’t invited to this year
13.7K views
0:47Some of these attention-getting posers say they are alpha but are far from it
13K views
35:26Tennis Anyone w/ Michael Kosta | Laughing at Comedians in Saudi Arabia
13K views
1:10My thoughts this AM
13K views
0:28Comedians Doing the Riyadh Comedy Festival
12.6K viewsGuest appearances (109)
Videos on other comedians' channels featuring Michael Kosta.
Guest appearances 25 to 48 of 109.
1:05If people are gonna tariff-panic-buy rice, then call Michael Kosta the rice paddy daddy
Jon Stewart
588.9K views
5:27Trump’s BBB Has Michael Kosta Ditching Hospitals & Gambling for Whaling & Guns | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
553.8K views
16:35Jon Stewart's Israel-Palestine Proposal & Michael Kosta Tackles the AL Embryo Case | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
544K views
20:31Your Moment of Them: The Best of Michael Kosta Vol. 2 | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
513.7K views
4:29Trevor and Michael Kosta Discuss the Trump-Giuliani "Scumbag Defense" | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
496K views
1:40Michael Kosta's hot take: Let's not put forever chemicals in our water or lead in our Lunchables
Jon Stewart
474.8K views
2:58Michael Kosta Makes the Case for College Bribery | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
424.2K views
4:47Michael Kosta Meets the Grim Reaper | The Daily Social Distancing Show
Jon Stewart
406.3K views
5:10Avoid These Dumb Tourist Mistakes with Michael Kosta's Travel Tips | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
398.1K views
3:57In Memoriam: Michael Kosta Pays Tribute to All the Great Americans We've Lost | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
359.3K views
5:54Michael Kosta Explores Courtesy Towing, Philadelphia’s Flop Parking Program | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
346.8K views
0:54Maine's crackdown on vanity license plates is stifling Michael Kosta's individuality
Jon Stewart
344.1K views
7:17Ronny Chieng & Michael Kosta Spar Over Rory's Grand Slam & LeBron's Barbie Collab | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
336.8K views
2:22Can Michael Kosta Make It In K-Pop with P1Harmony? | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
314.4K views
0:59Stuck on a space station with co-workers for eight months? Michael Kosta can't even think about it
Jon Stewart
307.4K views
1:44Michael Kosta and Roy Wood Jr. Play The Trump’s Best Words Bracket | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
294.7K views
0:59Michael Kosta gives updates on Trump's secretary of defense nominee, Pete Hegseth
Jon Stewart
291.3K views
3:11Michael Kosta Talks To Extremely Confident Dems on the DNC Floor | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
284.4K views
0:34Michael Kosta has the key to keeping Kamala's momentum alive: Drop out!
Jon Stewart
259.5K views
16:57The Best of Michael Kosta in Quarantine | The Daily Social Distancing Show
Jon Stewart
256.2K views
4:54Michael Kosta Asks New Yorkers to Fill in The Blanks | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
248.7K views
1:39Michael Kosta on how the problem of political violence in America goes much deeper than rhetoric
Jon Stewart
228.3K views
1:59Too much DEI in fire fighting, not enough Michael Kosta
Jon Stewart
211K views
6:27Ever Wondered What Your Pet Was Thinking? Michael Kosta Tries a Pet Psychic | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
208K viewsChannels on this page: Jon Stewart
Frequently asked questions
What is Michael Kosta best known for?
He is an Emmy award-winning rotating host and senior correspondent of The Daily Show, where he was hired as a correspondent in 2017.
Was Michael Kosta a professional athlete?
Yes, he is a former professional tennis player who played on the ITF and ATP tour and was once ranked #864 in the world.
Where did Michael Kosta play college tennis?
He attended the University of Illinois, where he played on four Big Ten Championship tennis teams, and earned a bachelor's degree in Speech Communications in 2002.
What memoir did Michael Kosta write?
In 2025, he released a memoir titled Lucky Loser: Adventures in Tennis and Comedy, published by Harper Influence.
What are Michael Kosta's Comedy Central specials?
He had a half-hour Comedy Central Presents special in January 2011 and released his one-hour special Michael Kosta: Detroit. NY. LA. in 2022.
Comedians similar to Michael Kosta
Same comedic style, across countries
