Michael Kosta's Sinkhole Joke Gets a Groan From 'Daily Show' Audience

Michael Kosta learned Wednesday night that some jokes land better than others, even on "The Daily Show."

TheWrap reports that Kosta's monologue about what he called a "sinkhole pandemic" was interrupted when his studio audience audibly groaned at one particular line.

After a news clip explained that abandoned mines are eroding and causing sinkholes across the country, Kosta riffed on the idea that the ground might not be trustworthy. Then he went darker: "Mines are only supposed to kill the people who work in them."

The room went quiet, then awkward laughter, then a united groan.

Kosta didn't let it slide. He pointed out to the crowd, "Your first reaction was to laugh at that," which got them laughing for real this time. He closed the segment with a warning about Googling "miner holes near me" and the FBI.

It's not the first time a "Daily Show" host has had to talk an audience through a rough joke, but Kosta handled it like a pro: acknowledge the flinch, make them own it, move on.

• audience reaction
• Comedy Central
• Michael Kosta
• sinkhole
• The Daily Show