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 49 to 72 of 109.
1:44Michael Kosta Roasts Polls | The Daily Social Distancing Show
Jon Stewart
207.4K views
18:10Michael Kosta’s Top 10 Moments | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
204.9K views
1:01Michael Kosta breaks down what it means when people call Trump a fascist
Jon Stewart
196.7K views
4:20Michael Kosta Asks New Yorkers to Fill Him In on the News | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
185.4K views
5:32Sex in Space? Michael Kosta Learns How to Join the Thousand-Mile-High Club | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
182.1K views
6:11Why Does California Categorize Bees as Fish? Michael Kosta Investigates | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
182K views
1:45Can't afford Christmas decorations because of tariffs? Michael Kosta has the perfect solution
Jon Stewart
181.6K views
27:03The Best of Michael Kosta in 2022 | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
178K views
2:09Michael Kosta's Konsumer Reports: The Samsung Ballie | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
174.2K views
1:23Patrick McEnroe and Michael Kosta weigh in on the turf wars between pickleball and tennis players
Jon Stewart
170K views
8:27Michael Kosta on Co-Hosting The Daily Show and Getting Injured Before His Andre Agassi Tennis Match
Seth Meyers
169.1K views
0:58Michael Kosta ranks the Top 10 Giant Metal Beans in Chicago
Jon Stewart
160.1K views
1:12Michael Kosta is escaping to a simpler time before society was poisoned by social media: the '80s
Jon Stewart
153.4K views
3:35Michael Kosta’s Top Michaels of 2018 | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
151.4K views
2:11Michael Kosta's Journey to The Daily Show - After The Cut | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
147.2K views
0:52"Forever chemicals" in water don't scare Michael Kosta, his Brita filter is nine-years-old!
Jon Stewart
142.9K views
0:52Florida homes are being infiltrated by alligators. Michael Kosta explains the real reason why
Jon Stewart
140.5K views
1:15The Snapchat Pixy Review: Michael Kosta Definitely Understands This | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
137.1K views
5:49Michael Kosta Goes Inside Santa Fe's Paranormal Real Estate Activity | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
134.7K views
3:38Testing New Yorkers’ Pop Culture Knowledge with Michael Kosta | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
123K views
0:56Michael Kosta on the reason why "conjugal visits" are trending on Twitter, Luigi Mangione
Jon Stewart
121.6K views
6:13What Are Haunted Dolls? Michael Kosta Investigates | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
114.7K views
2:30What Michael Kosta Learned About Guns From Switzerland - After The Cut | The Daily Show
Jon Stewart
102.2K views
0:56Michael Kosta on suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione
Jon Stewart
98.3K viewsChannels on this page: Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers
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
