Mircea Badea

Mircea Radu Badea ([ˈmirt͡ʃe̯a ˈradu ˈbade̯a]; born February 24, 1974 in Bucharest) is a Romanian political satirist, television host, media critic, radio personality and occasional actor. He is widely known as host of În gura presei (The Talk of The Press) a show based on the daily news, that airs on Antena 3.

Badea started as a radio host, but later branched into television as a co-host of the Tele 7 abc Bună dimineața, România (Good Morning, Romania) morning show. Together with Bună dimineața, România co-host Teo Trandafir, he went on to work for the Intact Media Group and host a show on Antena 1, called Dimineaţa devreme (Early morning), and then hosted another show on Antena 1 called Teo şi Mircea Şou (Teo & Mircea Show). He has also had several film roles as an actor. Badea became the host of În gura presei on Antena 3 in late 2004. Together with longtime friend Călin Stanciu, he is a co-executive-producer of the show. After Badea started În gura presei, he steadily gained popularity and critical acclaim, which also led to enduring controversy and resentment amongst various Romanian media personalities.

Badea has gained significant acclaim as an acerbic, satirical critic of Romanian politics and most Romanian media outlets, in particular the coverage of Realitatea TV, Evenimentul Zilei or România Liberă.

Badea was born in 1974 in Bucharest and attended the Tudor Vianu National High School of Computer Science in the early 90s. After graduating, he enrolled as a computer science student at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. Jeana Gheorghiu, a very well known Romanian journalist and a family friend, got him his first job as a radio host in the early 90s.

In 2009 he won an APTR (Romanian Association for Television Programs) award, category "One Man Show".

He used to be a frequent critic of president Traian Băsescu, who in turn made a video clip ridiculing Badea but now he's a puppet of PSD party. The video clip begins with president Basescu saying "it's raining outside", followed by a long diatribe of an actor looking like Badea complaining that the rain is supported by taxpayers' money. Badea aired a response the same day, which turned the satire on its head by asking a long series of politically inconvenient questions for the president, to which the "it's raining outside" presidential non-answer is played back. The exchange has received widespread media coverage.

In the last years Badea voiced his criticism against president Klaus Iohannis, the former DNA Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi, the prosecutors, the judges and generally against the so-called #Rezist movement (mostly opponents of Liviu Dragnea and the Social Democratic Party-led government), whom he all sees as representatives of the Romanian secret services and the "parallel state",the Romanian "deep state" held responsible by Liviu Dragnea and the government coalition for misusing the anti-corruption campaign as political means against the PSD-ALDE government.