# Greg Gutfeld The Fox News host who proved that conservative audiences would support a late-night comedy show — and that Fox could compete directly with network late-night television. Greg Gutfeld co-hosts *The Five* (the highest-rated show on all of cable news, averaging 3.7 million viewers) and hosts *Gutfeld!* (weeknights at 10 PM), the only late-night program that regularly averages over 3 million viewers, outperforming Colbert, Kimmel, and Fallon in total viewership. ## Background Born September 12, 1964, in San Mateo, California. University of California, Berkeley (BA, English, 1987) — a liberal campus origin he frequently deploys for comedic and ideological purposes. Before Fox, Gutfeld had an unusual career in men's magazine publishing: staff writer at *Prevention*, editor-in-chief of *Men's Health* (where he increased circulation from 750,000 to 1.2 million), and editor of *Maxim UK*. He contributed to the Huffington Post. None of this suggested a future as the most-watched late-night host in America. ## Fox News Career Gutfeld joined Fox News in 2007 as a contributor, hosting the overnight show *Red Eye* (3 AM, 2007–2015) — a low-stakes, irreverent program that built a cult following. In 2011, he became a co-host of *The Five*, the 5 PM roundtable. In 2015, he launched *The Greg Gutfeld Show* (weekly), which evolved into the nightly *Gutfeld!* in 2021. ### The Five *The Five* became the top-rated show across all of cable news — not just Fox — averaging 3.7 million total viewers. The show's roundtable format (five hosts debating the day's news) proved more commercially resilient than single-host programs. Gutfeld serves as the comedic provocateur on the panel. ### Gutfeld! and Late-Night Competition *Gutfeld!* is Fox's answer to the network late-night shows — and it consistently beats them in total viewership. The show averages over 3 million viewers and outperforms Colbert, Kimmel, and Fallon. It attracts more Democrats and independents than its network competitors, according to Nielsen data. The show moved from 11 PM to 10 PM in July 2023 as part of the post-Carlson primetime reshuffling, making it technically a primetime show rather than late night — but it still represents Fox's successful entry into comedy-formatted political entertainment. ## [[Geraldo Rivera]] Departure Gutfeld's on-air clashes with Geraldo Rivera on *The Five* contributed to Rivera's departure from Fox in June 2023. Rivera described a "toxic relationship" with a co-host (widely understood to be Gutfeld) as a factor in his exit. ## Analytical Framework Gutfeld demonstrates Fox's ability to compete in programming formats previously dominated by liberal-leaning entertainment networks. His success proves that the Fox audience — older, conservative, loyal — will support a comedy show that validates their worldview, just as they support news, opinion, and documentary programming that does the same. His magazine-to-Fox career path is also notable: Gutfeld is not a journalist, lawyer, or political operative (unlike most Fox hosts). He's an entertainer who found his format. This makes him the purest expression of Fox's nature as an entertainment company rather than a news organization. ## See Also - [[Fox News]] — The network where he hosts two of the highest-rated shows on cable - [[Jesse Watters]] — Primetime colleague at 8 PM - [[Sean Hannity]] — Primetime colleague at 9 PM