It is one thing for critics to question the politicians’, including President Trump, rationale for supporting the war with Iran, but Comedy Central’s Michael Kosta began his week hosting The Daily Show on Tuesday by going several steps further and mocking U.S. Air Force pilots and Kuwaiti air defenders for a friendly fire accident that downed three F-15s.
Kosta introduced a clip of CNN’s John Berman by sarcastically declaring, “But you know what? I'm sure that, mass evacuations aside, the rest of the war is going great.”
In the clip, Berman reported how "U.S. Central Command says three fighter jets were shot down by friendly fire from Kuwaiti forces. CENTCOM says all six crew members aboard the jets ejected were safely recovered and are in stable condition.”
The Daily Show's Michael Kosta thinks losing three F-15s to friendly fire is hilarious, "Okay, I know it's not great that our allies shot our planes down. But the good news is they were probably using the missiles we sold them, so at least we know they work!...The pilots are… pic.twitter.com/XAo0tCCDV2
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) March 4, 2026
Kosta reacted by retorting, “Okay, I know it's not great that our allies shot our planes down. But the good news is they were probably using the missiles we sold them, so at least we know they work! By the way, can we come up with a new name for ‘friendly fire?’ Shooting your friend's plane down seems like the least friendly thing you could do. Imagine you find your best friend banging your spouse, and he's like, ‘Relax. It's just a little ‘friendly penetration.’’ But you know what? The pilots are okay, we'll just buy some new planes. What do they cost?
A second Berman clip showed him adding, “We should note that the estimates of costs on these F-15 Strike Eagle jets range from anywhere from $30 million per unit all the way up to $100 million.”
Again, Kosta quipped, “Up to $100 million each? We may have lost $300 million in one 'friendly penetration' incident? I mean, look, I live in New York, so I am used to seeing obscene amounts of money wasted on Jets, but still, 300 million—oh!—300 million is crazy! But on the other hand, if we watch the video in reverse, I just saved us $300 million. So not bad for the old Kosta!”
Kosta probably felt safe in joking about the incident because, as Berman reported, all six crew members survived, but it is still widely inappropriate. Kuwait’s love for America goes back decades when the U.S. liberated them from Saddam Hussein, and it is almost certain that nobody feels worse about the accident than the air defender responsible. Both the U.S. crews and Kuwaiti defenders deserve better than some cable show comedian half a world away making sexual affair jokes about them.
Footage of Kuwaiti locals approaching one of the shot down American pilots this morning.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 2, 2026
“Are you OK? Thank you for helping us.” pic.twitter.com/QCxUNxuSYF
Here is a transcript for the March 3 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
3/3/2026
11:02 PM ET
MICHAEL KOSTA: But you know what? I'm sure that, mass evacuations aside, the rest of the war is going great.
CNN VOICE: Breaking news.
JOHN BERMAN: U.S. Central Command says three fighter jets were shot down by friendly fire from Kuwaiti forces. CENTCOM says all six crew members aboard the jets ejected were safely recovered and are in stable condition.
KOSTA: Okay, I know it's not great that our allies shot our planes down. But the good news is they were probably using the missiles we sold them, so at least we know they work! By the way, can we come up with a new name for "friendly fire?" Shooting your friend's plane down seems like the least friendly thing you could do. Imagine you find your best friend banging your spouse, and he's like, "Relax. It's just a little ‘friendly penetration.’ But you know what? The pilots are okay, we'll just buy some new planes. What do they cost?
BERMAN: We should note that the estimates of costs on these F-15 Strike Eagle jets range from anywhere from $30 million per unit all the way up to $100 million.
KOSTA: Up to $100 million each? We may have lost $300 million in one "friendly penetration" incident? I mean, look, I live in New York, so I am used to seeing obscene amounts of money wasted on Jets, but still, 300 million—oh!—300 million is crazy! But on the other hand, if we watch the video in reverse, I just saved us $300 million. So not bad for the old Kosta!
