Latest news with #DailyShow
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Daily Show' Staffer on Triumph at Pedro Pascal Look-Alike Contest: 'It's Been Insane' (Exclusive)
On Sunday, George Gountas enjoyed a life of relative obscurity. True, the 42-year-old resident of Brooklyn has enjoyed a taste of the limelight — literally, as he's been the lighting designer for The Daily Show since 2018. And yes, he was used to being told he looked like a certain celebrity whose profile has skyrocketed in recent years. But for the most part, he was just George from Greenpoint, father of two. More from The Hollywood Reporter "Who Gives a F*** What Other People Think": Walton Goggins, Adam Scott and the Drama Actor Roundtable Late-Night TV Hosts on Trump's "Big Stupid Birthday Parade": "Almost Makes Me Feel Bad for Him" How Celine Song's 'Materialists' Approaches New York City Wealth All of that changed yesterday when Gountas, egged on by his wife and Daily Show staffers, entered a Pedro Pascal look-alike contest. Sponsored by Lower East Side's Son Del North Mexican restaurant — who wanted to prove the Materialists star wrong in his assessment on Hot Ones that New York has no good Mexican food — the competition gave the winner burritos for a year and $50 cash, plus unlimited bragging rights. It was instantly obvious to everyone in attendance (and hundreds of onlookers showed up, plus a couple dozen contestants) that Pedro No. 5 was the clear winner. Pascal, 50, has already given his blessing, commenting on a viral Instagram post about Gountas' win with a teary-eyed smiley face emoji and a heart. Gountas granted his first post-triumph media interview to The Hollywood Reporter. *** George, I have to say this is very startling. Your resemblance to Pedro Pascal must have interrupted your life a lot over the past few years. It started back when Pedro was on Game of Thrones. He was Red Viper, a very beloved character. They killed off a lot of those in very startling fashion. My wife was so freaked out when he got killed. She's like, 'I can't watch this. I feel like the guy is crushing your head.' Then my daughter's classmates would tell their parents how I 'look like famous people.' They'd take pictures of their TVs and send them to my wife. You could be his twin brother. I look more like him than I look like my own brother. What's amazing is that you also work in show business, like him. Tell me about your job. I am the lighting designer at The Daily Show, which is a wonderful place to work. We're a very tight-knit group and have a daily text on what's needed for the day. One of the stage managers, Tyler, found the advertisement for the contest and was like, 'Yo, George, go win some free burritos.' I showed it to my wife and she's like, 'Yeah, you're going to this.' My neighbor is a stylist and art director and she was like, 'I've got shoes for you, I've got pants for you.' It was a whole thing. Pedro has done a lot of talk shows, but has he done ? In my tenure, he hasn't been there. I've been there since 2018. So I don't remember him coming by, but hopefully he does now. I feel like that's imminent now. There was a picture on somebody's Instagram with a side-by-side of him and me. Apparently he commented with a couple of tear emojis and a heart. So it was pretty funny. That's going to be a huge summit, just the two of you meeting. Let's talk about the contest. It was at a Mexican restaurant. The whole root of it is that he complained about Mexican food in New York? That's my understanding. I'm assuming he lives in Los Angeles and obviously L.A. is known for its great Mexican food. He wasn't happy [with New York's offerings]. So they said, 'We'll show you. We're going to do this contest.' I already started trying my first burritos. And they're excellent. Tell me about the scene there. Was it mayhem? How many people showed up? It was unbelievable. I live in Greenpoint, which is not too far away. My kids wanted to come, so my wife and kids joined me. And as we're getting closer, there's 1,000 people in the street. Cars are honking, trying to get by. Apparently you're supposed to sign up in advance. I didn't. I just kind of walked up and said, 'Hey, I'm here.' And so you met your other contestants. The other ones did not hold a candle to you. I guess they all realized it the second they saw you. Listen, I sized them all up, I'm not going to lie. No. 18 look good from far. Great head of hair. No. 18 had me beat in that department. The Instagram comments are pretty vicious, saying I should go to Turkey. Don't read the comments. So you were named the winner and what do you get? Burritos for a year, and 50 bucks. That's like going out for ice cream at Greenpoint. Have you heard from any of your bosses at yet? Everyone's super supportive. It's been pretty insane. There's a full page spread in The New York Post and people are just screenshotting everything and sending it to me. Has Jon Stewart said anything? I haven't seen or spoken to him yet. I'm anxious about going to the show and have everybody make fun of me. It's kind of a very cool family environment there. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jon Stewart Spills On His 'Bizarro World' Reaction To Tucker Carlson-Ted Cruz Clash
'Daily Show' host Jon Stewart on Thursday bluntly summed up his reaction to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson's fiery clash with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) over Iran. 'We're in such a bizarro world, you've got me nodding my head to Tucker Carlson videos,' said Stewart as he chuckled on his 'Weekly Show' podcast. 'You got Tucker Carlson going, 'Why are we going to war with Iran again?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, you tell him, brother!' Like, that's how fucking upside down we find ourselves in this moment.' Stewart famously clashed with Carlson on live TV during a 2004 episode of CNN's 'Crossfire' with Paul Begala, a moment that saw the 'Daily Show' host call Carlson a 'dick.' In 2021, Stewart jokingly addressed his past words for Carlson as the former Fox News host faced criticism for insinuating that pregnant service members were a 'mockery' to the U.S. military. 'I called Tucker Carlson a dick on National television. It's high time I dicks. Never should have lumped you in with that terrible terrible person,' Stewart wrote on X, formerly Twitter. His latest remarks arrive just days after Carlson — who has opposed U.S. involvement in Israel's war with Iran — grilled Cruz over why he didn't know the population of Iran, questioning how the Texas senator didn't know such a figure of a country he seeks to 'topple.' President Donald Trump — who has attacked Carlson over his takes on the war — has since declared that he'll take two weeks to mull whether the U.S. should strike Iran and has publicly dismissed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's Senate testimony that Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon. On 'The Weekly Show,' Stewart suggested that the moment he found himself cheering on Carlson was based on 'one distinct premise': the 'utter incompetence' of the Trump administration's decisions. 'We are being led by someone who doesn't know what they're doing and out of DOGE has a skeleton staff of utility infielders that are just out there with eight different jobs each, and nobody has any follow through and wherewithal to get things done,' Stewart said. 'And if anything does get done, it will be a happy accident, not because of the judicious plan that was put into place by a fifth-level Jedi chess master. That's bullshit. And the chaos right now on the world stage is a direct function of that incompetence.' 'Daily Show' Nails The 'Really Confusing' Part Of Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Clash 'Daily Show' Roasts The 'F**k' Out Of Trump's 'Fantastic' Response To Israel-Iran War 'Daily Show' Spots The 1 Way Elon Musk's Trump Friendship Isn't So 'Cyber-F**ked'
Buzz Feed
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Jon Stewart Shocked His Staffer Won A Pedro Pascal Lookalike Contest
The fake Pedro Pascal may be as charming as the real Pedro Pascal. 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 — Pedro Pascal Daily (@pascalarchive) June 15, 2025 @pascalarchive/X/jameskleinmann / Via 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 — 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. 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 @dailyshow should change their intro to say "now featuring pedro pascal on camera 2" — Lucas Lyons (@lucaslyonsart) June 18, 2025 @lucaslyonsart/X / Via Pretty amazing!!! He's got the body language dialed in. — Wear your masks (@tonyver45) June 18, 2025 @tonyver45/X / Via 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
CBS News
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Meet the NYC dad who won a Pedro Pascal look-alike contest and won a year of burritos
When George Gountas' wife couldn't bear to watch Pedro Pascal's character die on "Game of Thrones" because he looked too much like her husband, she had no idea it would one day pay off in free burritos. The New York City father and "Daily Show" lighting designer proved his uncanny resemblance to the beloved actor was worth cold, hard cash and Mexican food when he won a Father's Day Pedro Pascal look-alike contest over the weekend, beating more than 20 competitors for $50 and a year's worth of burritos. Gountas said he initially learned about the contest through a group text from Tyler, a stage manager at "The Daily Show," but didn't immediately commit to participating. His wife ultimately convinced him to enter just two days before the event. A New York dad entered a Pedro Pascal look-alike contest at his wife's urging and walked away a winner Photo by Toyafor Disney "I showed her two days before, she was like, 'You're going to do this,'" Gountas said. He received styling help from a neighbor who works as a stylist and showed up to the contest without pre-registering. "I showed up, walked on. They're like, 'You're going to win,'" he said. The father of two daughters said he plans to maintain his Pascal-inspired look for now, despite some family resistance. "My older daughter is kind of over it. 'When are you going to shave that mustache?'" he said. "But for now it's working." Gountas, who describes himself as a private person without social media presence, said he's enjoying the attention and hopes Pascal himself might visit "The Daily Show" someday so his wife can meet the actor. The lighting designer used his $50 prize money to treat his family to ice cream in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood.
New York Post
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Jon Stewart slams Trump over Israel-Iran war: ‘What the f–k are we doing?'
Jon Stewart blasted President Trump for his handling of the Israel-Iran war — telling his Comedy Central audience on Monday that the 'dealmaker-in-chief' was at fault for being on the verge of striking a deal with the Islamic Republic before things went 'bomby.' 'What the f–k are we doing?' Stewart, host of the network's 'Daily Show,' said during Monday night's monologue. 'What happened with Iran? Weren't we about to make a nuclear deal? Wasn't our dealmaker-in-chief making a deal to keep Iran from enriching uranium? Actually, didn't we have a deal before our dealmaker-in-chief so wisely pulled us from that deal? Why did this have to go bomby on Iran now?' Stewart said. 4 'Daily Show' host Jon Stewart criticized President Trump's handling of the Israel-Iran crisis. The Daily Show / YouTube 4 'What the f–k are we doing?' Stewart, host of the network's 'Daily Show,' said during Monday night's monologue. The Daily Show / YouTube He followed up by showing a 2012 clip of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that Iran was only months away from acquiring a nuclear weapon. 'Iran is months away from having a nuclear bomb, says Netanyahu… in 2012,' Stewart said, rolling his eyes. 'Netanyahu talks about Iran getting nukes the way I talk about the Knicks winning a title.' As tensions flare between Tehran and Jerusalem, Stewart suggested that US involvement — whether direct or indirect — could have severe repercussions. 'Of course, a hot war between Israel and Iran could threaten the United States. It's best if we stay out of it,' he said, before airing a clip of Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisting that the US was 'not involved' in the bombing campaign. 'Phew. We're not involved. That's good,' Stewart deadpanned, before immediately cutting to a news report confirming that Trump had been 'informed beforehand' of the Israeli strikes. 'Good neighbor policy. I mean, we were informed, they let us know. Still not being involved, really,' he quipped, visibly irritated. The segment escalated as Stewart played footage of Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow claiming that the former president gave Israel a 'green light' to strike Iranian targets. Stewart mocked the distinction: 'We were told, we approved, it's still Israel's game.' But the moment that brought the room to stunned laughter came when Stewart played a final report revealing that Israel used American equipment in the opening stages of its assault on Iran. 4 Trump, speaking to the press after leaving the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday, signaled that Israel had no plans to scale back its military campaign. REUTERS 'What the f–k are we doing?!' Stewart shouted. Trump said Tuesday that he wants a 'real end' to the nuclear standoff with Iran and suggested he may dispatch high-ranking US officials to engage with the Islamic Republic, even as Israeli airstrikes on Iran entered their fifth consecutive day. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz invoked the fate of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, saying Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could meet a similar end. 'I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens,' Katz told senior Israeli military commanders. Not long after his remarks, Iranian state media reported that an explosion had occurred in Tehran. Trump, speaking to the press after leaving the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday, signaled that Israel had no plans to scale back its military campaign. 'You're going to find out over the next two days. You're going to find out. Nobody's slowed up so far,' he said. As tensions escalated, Trump mentioned that US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance could be sent to engage in talks with Iranian officials. 4 The Iran State Radio and Television building in Tehran on fire after an Israeli strike on Monday. BERNO/SIPA/Shutterstock Despite the growing military conflict, the White House has maintained that Trump is still pushing for a nuclear deal with Iran. Trump left the G7 gathering earlier than planned, but insisted his early exit was unrelated to efforts toward brokering a deal between Iran and Israel, contrary to claims from French President Emmanuel Macron that the US had initiated a ceasefire proposal. Trump posted on Truth Social late Monday, stating that something 'much bigger' was underway. Inside Iran, the fallout from Israel's strikes appears to be reshaping Khamenei's power structure. Several of his closest military and intelligence advisers have reportedly been killed, according to five individuals familiar with the matter. One of those sources, who regularly participates in meetings with Khamenei, warned that the possibility of a strategic misstep is now 'extremely dangerous' for Iran's internal stability and defense posture.
