I haven't seen Rita Cosby on MSNBC in several weeks. Not that I've really noticed, because I try to avoid her whenever possible. It's the voice. Yeah, sorry, no offense, but I just can't stand listening to her raspy voice. But now the NY Post is reporting that, after a three week vacation, the rasp is gone!
Supposedly, the three week break was an "enforced" vacation, and besides the rest that she got, Cosby won't go into details on what she did to change her voice. I'm assuming she didn't go through puberty, like that episode of The Brady Bunch where Peter's voice changed.
Can any TV Squad readers confirm this? I'm going to check MSNBC to see if she's on today.
[via TV Newser]















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-30-2007 @ 3:57PM
const said...
yawn.
Is MSNBC still on the air?
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1-30-2007 @ 4:35PM
corbett said...
My issues with Rita Cosby only BEGIN with her voice. Even if, by some miracle or surgery, that was fixed, she'd still be just this side of Nancy Grace. EW.
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1-30-2007 @ 5:30PM
Michael said...
Yes!
It is true! I heard her the other day and did a real double take -- her voice is about 95% better, and finally tolerable.
It was almost a pleasure to listen to her. I don't know what was done, but I'm happy for her and for her listeners. No question she's a dedicated journalist; now we can actually listen to what she has to say :)
And yes, MSNBC is still on the air, const ;)
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1-30-2007 @ 6:11PM
Dave said...
was an "enforced" vacation should be a forced vacation. I've never heard of an enforced vacation.
Do bloggers ever read what they write?
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1-30-2007 @ 6:13PM
David said...
She was on yesterday and I changed the chanel. She was gone for so long and I was so happy. I did notice in like 30 seconds that her voice was different. I wouldn't say it's 95% better, it's still really annoying, but it is better. I guess it couldn't get any worse than the way it was before.
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1-30-2007 @ 6:51PM
Jay said...
Her voice IS terribly distracting. I dont know about how good a reporter she is, but the voice--the voice--she's an anchor, for goodness sakes.
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1-30-2007 @ 7:14PM
Brian Sheridan said...
From NY Daily News
RITA LOSES RASP
By DON KAPLAN
January 30, 2007 -- RITA Cosby, the MSNBC anchor, has found her voice.
Since Cosby appeared on the air last week - after a three week "enforced" vacation in Mexico - her trademark rasp was gone and she was speaking in an unremarkable tone of voice.
Cosby declined to say what exactly she'd done to get her voice back.
But she did say that she had been to a see a doctor before her three weeks off the radar.
"There's nothing like going to the doctor and getting a prescription that includes an enforced vacation (I went to Mexico), getting some vocal rest, and coming back with a tan to this arctic weather," Cosby told the Post yesterday in a prepared statement.
"I am getting so many compliments about my voice, I intend to keep it this way. . . Thanks for noticing how energetic my voice sounds."
Cosby - who frequently seemed to be straining so hard when she spoke that the veins on her neck would visibly bulge - may have undergone one or several different treatments, according to NYU speech expert Dr. Milan Amin.
Surgery, speech therapy, medicine for acid reflux disease and even plain rest are among the standard treatments for a condition like Cosby's.
"You can't rule out the possibility that rest alone did this," says Amin,
"The real test will be if the raspiness comes back," he says.
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1-30-2007 @ 8:13PM
Chester said...
Seems No. 3 involved a doctor:
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
en·force /ɛnˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[en-fawrs, -fohrs] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–verb (used with object), -forced, -forc·ing.
1. to put or keep in force; compel obedience to: to enforce a rule; Traffic laws will be strictly enforced.
2. to obtain (payment, obedience, etc.) by force or compulsion.
3. to impose (a course of action) upon a person: The doctor enforced a strict dietary regimen.
4. to support (a demand, claim, etc.) by force: to enforce one's rights as a citizen.
5. to impress or urge (an argument, contention, etc.) forcibly; lay stress upon: He enforced his argument by adding details.
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1-31-2007 @ 4:56AM
Rob said...
I remember watching her on Fox News and here voice being tolerable. When she started on MSNBC I wondered if it was a joke. Nobody could stand that. By the way Keith Olbermann's show is the only reason to watch MSNBC.
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2-08-2007 @ 6:19PM
Rachel said...
Unfortunately, everybody, I just heard her on MSNBC and the very irritating voice is back.
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2-09-2007 @ 3:16AM
Annie said...
Rita Cosby truly has the most annoying voice on television and sounds like she has a perpetual 'sore throat' and you feel like you want to pass her a Hall's through the screen everytime she comes on -
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2-10-2007 @ 5:07PM
Corrine said...
I'm so happy the voice issue was raised...I thought I was the only one who wanted to poke out my ear drums when Rita Cosby spoke. I like MSNBC (beats the Bush channel FOX & the yawn channel CNN) Keith Olberman is key, love Chris Matthews (even the lisp) and find Pat Buchanan amusing (daily on Scarborough) They need to send Rita on assignment....indefinitely
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2-21-2007 @ 8:20AM
Daniel said...
I don't know, Dave. Do YOU ever read what YOU write? And, don't flame me. Just read your post. Practice what you preach, as they say.
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2-21-2007 @ 6:52PM
buk said...
Man, ya'll are trippin' rita has the sexiest voice i have ever heard...she does IT for me...sexy, bedroom voice & a beautiful face to match...is she married? somebody hook me up...& stop hatin' ..she doesnt sound like every other nasal voice on the air..Rita, dont go changin' to try & please me!
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4-13-2007 @ 10:24PM
Rita said...
I think Rita is a wonderful reporter, her voice did bother me, and she has finally done something about that. I think all of you who are such fans of Olberman are just like him, really nasty people. He once said of Rita "she is dumber than a suitcase of rocks". She is not, & for him to say something like that about a person he works with is horrible, I wouldn't want him for a friend, he IS an enemy!
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4-19-2007 @ 3:15PM
Mac said...
Why is everybody complaining about rita? She is the sexiest lady i have ever seen as a journalist....And her voice is very sexy and unique........Why dont you people stop complaining and get real......I could start complaining about female jounalist that are in need of a facelift...Never mind a voice change...Why doesnt anybody complain about them instead???
Rita cosby has beautiful healthy skin, and a sexy face...
Why dont you other ladies, go take a good look at yourself in the mirror instead.... Dont be jealous!!!!
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4-20-2007 @ 9:17AM
mason said...
I would just like to comment about ritas voice...I find her voice very sexy, as well as her looks.....These people that are complaining are nothing but jealous housewives, and feminists.....Whats happening is, everytime a housewife comes across rita on television, they cant bear the fact that their husbands want to hear and look at her....This drives them nuts.
I bet i can speak for almost every man that has ever seen or heard her voice............Get a grip ladies, and complain about someone or something different!!!!
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4-21-2007 @ 5:46PM
JPK said...
hehehe...too bad for you men who actually liked her, she is gone from MSNBC....I wish her and her "voice" well, wherever she ends up.
Some people have a sensitivity to sounds that goes beyond jealousy...it just grates on the nerves and has nothing to do with anything else. I can't tell you how many times I switched the channel as soon as she came on.
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