A Quick Breakdown of How One Fox News Host Is Threatening the Reign of King Tucker

A

Greg Gutfeld has quietly become the second highest-rated host at Fox News, behind only network star Tucker Carlson.

SO WHAT

Is Gutfeld’s rise a sign the conservative media landscape is changing?

THE NUMBERS

“The Five,” the panel show Gutfeld has co-hosted since 2011, has pushed Sean Hannity’s eponymous program to a distant third place in the Fox News ratings race, The Daily Beast reported Sunday.

In the first three weeks of December, “Hannity” drew about 500,000 fewer viewers than either “The Five” or “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

  • Hannity reigned atop the cable news ratings for two and a half years prior to Carlson taking over the top spot in cable news in April 2020.
  • Carlson has since become one of the most influential men in conservative media and helped propel Fox News to record-breaking viewership.
  • Meanwhile, the late night talk show “Gutfeld!,” another Fox News program hosted by Gutfeld, has also become a ratings success.
THE TRINITY

Hannity dominated the airwaves with meat-and-potatoes Donald Trump advocacy, whereas Carlson broke through by bringing spicy dissident politics to the mainstream.

  • Gutfeld — previously a men’s magazine editor and host of Fox News’ “Red Eye” satirical late night talk show — has taken a middle path, combining a populist spirit with crowd-pleasing appeal.
By We'll Do It Live