Late night television in 2025 looks very different than it did just a few years ago, and at the center of that change is Greg Gutfeld. With his show Gutfeld! on Fox News, he has turned unpredictability into a brand, drawing more than three million viewers every night and dominating the 10 p.m. Eastern time slot—airing well before traditional hosts like Jimmy Fallon or Jimmy Kimmel. With his sharp, irreverent humor, Gutfeld is rewriting the playbook for late night, and whether you love him or loathe him, there is no denying his impact.
His schedule is relentless. In addition to Gutfeld!, he remains a fixture on The Five, Fox News’ roundtable program, and he also hosts the reality game show What Did I Miss? on Fox Nation, which has already been renewed for a second season. Far from being just another host, Gutfeld has become the network’s resident wild card, reshaping its image while carving out a unique cultural space. Before his rise as a polarizing figure and best-selling author, Gutfeld was working his way up through the editorial ranks at magazines like Men’s Health, Stuff, and Maxim. His big break came when Fox handed him the late-night experiment Red Eye, a quirky, offbeat show that aired at 3 a.m. It was there that Gutfeld honed his voice and developed the irreverent sensibility that now defines his career.
That sensibility is the backbone of Gutfeld! today. While many late-night hosts lean heavily into politics or celebrity interviews, his show thrives on not taking anything too seriously. Surrounded by the gravity of cable news, his refusal to play by the rules has made him stand out. By treating so-called untouchables with the same irreverence as everything else, he has tapped into an audience that feels shut out by traditional comedy and mainstream media. Even critics admit that Gutfeld has managed to turn having fun into a career, and he shows no sign of slowing down.
When asked about becoming the most-watched host in his time slot, Gutfeld explained that the victory wasn’t sudden but gradual. Ratings reports come in daily, and he watched the numbers climb until it was undeniable. “I thought maybe it would take a couple of years,” he admitted, “but it happened in a matter of months.” For longtime fans of Red Eye, his current show feels like a familiar evolution—still built on a rotating panel, still loose and conversational, but with ten times the audience and a time slot that places him at the top of late night.
The atmosphere he creates on both Gutfeld! and The Five is built on teasing, a kind of camaraderie where no jab is taken too seriously. He compares it to the way friends roast one another, and he insists this dynamic is a large part of his success. On The Five, he needles Dana Perino and Jesse Watters, gets it back from Jessica Tarlov, and the back-and-forth creates a playful energy that resonates with viewers. “It’s like a twisted version of Friends,” he joked, emphasizing that the appeal comes from letting the audience feel as though they’re in on the fun.
For Gutfeld, the key is that nothing said should ever require an apology. He resists the culture of public apologies, arguing that forced contrition often feels more insulting than the original joke. “If I say something that hurts your feelings, how is it better to say, ‘I’m sorry my insult hurt your feelings?’” he asks. To him, the expectation of apologies undermines the entire point of humor, which is to play with boundaries and not take every comment literally.
The title “King of Late Night” became part of his persona almost accidentally. Dave Rubin, appearing during the first week of Gutfeld!, suggested that he would soon dominate late night. Gutfeld laughed it off, but as his ratings surged, he embraced the title, even putting it on his book cover. He admits it’s a ridiculous, audacious label, but it stuck—and he has the numbers to back it up.
When asked about the meaning of “late night” in today’s fractured media world, Gutfeld points out that the genre has shifted into partisan territory. Instead of being a neutral space for comedy, it has become divided between audiences who want to go to bed angry and those who want to go to bed laughing. He insists that his show falls into the latter category. “I don’t want people ending their day enraged,” he explained. “Whether Biden loses or Trump wins, it doesn’t matter—we’re going to have fun either way. I’m not going to let politics ruin the mood.” This attitude, he believes, is what draws viewers flipping channels in search of something lighter, and it’s why so many stay once they discover him.
His rising popularity has caused a shakeup, not just in late night but across the cultural landscape. Gutfeld believes mainstream media created the opening for him by ignoring large swaths of the country. “They left free money on the table,” he said. “They stopped addressing most of the country, and I picked it up. I showed them they don’t own the culture anymore. We’re the ones having fun now.”
That sense of fun was on full display when Gutfeld appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The two shared stories like old friends, particularly Gutfeld’s infamous drunken tale of meeting Fallon years earlier. He described the moment as refreshing, like an old-school Carson segment where the conversation felt easy and genuine. Though Fallon has yet to appear on Gutfeld!, the door is open, and Gutfeld notes that any guest on his show would be asked to stay for the full hour and join the panel—a bigger commitment than the usual late-night interview. Still, as he points out with a grin, even a U.S. president has done it.
Greg Gutfeld has redefined what late night can look like, mixing irreverence, camaraderie, and sharp humor with an unpredictability that keeps his audience coming back. He doesn’t fit the mold of traditional hosts, and he doesn’t want to. For him, success is about making viewers feel like they’re part of the joke, part of the fun, and most of all, part of something new.
