What happens to a high-octane political polemicist when he walks into a mainstream entertainment show in front of an audience largely populated by squealing boy band fans?
Greg Gutfeld’s choice Thursday night seemed to be to try on the persona of some old showbiz pal of the host, loaded up with tales of drunken adventures from days before fame came calling.
Except if you had no idea who Gutfeld is today, you’d have no clue from his appearance with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that he’s considered the take-no-lib-prisoners rising comic star of the right.
Gutfeld came across more as a strange, fast-talking dude who does something on Fox News but mainly has a game show he wants to promote.
Maybe the two preceeding segments devoted to the Jonas Brothers, with every comment punctuated by the high-pitched approval of their fans, steered Gutfeld away from settling into Fallon’s couch and firing off his usual Gatling gun of one-liners about pathetic libs and overweight chicks.
That likely would have only confused the Jonas crowd.
But the idea of Gutfeld bringing his roaring personality into the lion’s den of old-fashioned, network-based late-night entertainment surely promised more than what was delivered.
After being introduced, Gutfeld literally leapt out from behind the blue Tonight curtains and into the arms of a seemingly surprised Fallon, who carried him around for a few seconds like he was Chris Kattan’s Peepers character from SNL.
That was a choice.
Here's Gutfeld jumping into Fallon's arms after he's introduced. pic.twitter.com/1LoBrJ6wDC
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) August 8, 2025
Before Fallon could say anything at all, Gutfeld commenced a long anecdote about the night they met fifteen years ago—and Fallon jumped into his arms—at an “illegal speakeasy” where “we were wasted.”
Fallon seemed to have only a dim memory of the event, probably because Gutfeld was just a guy in a bar at that point in his life, not a late-night rival with big ratings.
Notably, Fallon did not say Gutfeld was a late-night rival at all, and—maybe pointedly—said his show airs on Fox News “at 10 p.m.”
The details of the bar tale, which extended to climbing together into Fallon’s car and the driver bringing them to a second bar—somehow in the same building—went by in a rush, which maybe threw Fallon off whatever his plan was to pursue Gutfeld’s recent hot-blooded career.
But the next stop—in the show, not the limo—was Gutfeld giving some bio info about places he’d been fired early in his career, eventually being pitched a tryout for a Fox News late-night gig, which consisted of a nearly totally unprepared pilot. Everyone was drunk then too, even the cameramen, Gutfeld related.
That became Gutfeld’s first show on Fox, Red Eye, which at least allowed Fallon to finally get in one prepared question—about how Gutfeld made a character out of his mom. (Photo included.)
That gambit did play to the Jonas crowd, who chimed in with appropriate “awwws.”
Still, nothing about Gutfeld’s late-night terror of a show on Fox, where shibboleths of the left are slain nightly with rapier wit.
The interview segued instead to the Fox Nation game show Gutfeld added to his résumé in May, called What Did I Miss?, in which contestants are sequestered for weeks in a house upstate with no access to news at all from the outside world.
It’s kind of like Big Brother with a quiz, because they then get asked about new developments that happened while they were away and have to guess if they’re real or not.
A bit surprisingly, Gutfeld referred to how tough Donald Trump made this for contestants because of all the crazy things he comes up with. The example Gutfeld used was asking if the contestants thought it was real that Trump wanted to annex Canada.
On his regular show, most of the stuff termed “crazy” is done by Democrats.
Missing was any mention of the current state of late night, where Gutfeld claims supremacy loudly and often. Fallon did not bring up the recent cancellation of his friend Stephen Colbert and the delight that brought to the president of the U.S.—as well as to Gutfeld, based on some of the jokes on his non-game show.
Any reference to Colbert would probably have taken some setting up from Fallon, who likely didn’t have time because of the picaresque drinking adventures that occupied so much of the early part of the conversation.
To be fair to Fallon, that topic would have been jarringly out of place with the rest of the show, which included a monologue with a relatively low quotient of Trump material, and the two Jonas segments—the latter of which included a raunchy satire of sex-talk phone lines featuring double-entendre-loaded wizards. (The Jonas cheering section was much entertained.)
It’s hard to say what Gutfeld hoped for going into the appearance, and whether he got what he wanted out of it. It looked like he wanted to be a wild and crazy guy, with no heavy interest in politics.
As for Fallon, he didn’t go anywhere near the familiar Gutfeld persona. Was that a missed chance?
Only if some actual sparks would have been generated by going there. That seemed unlikely a few seconds after Gutfeld was brought to the stage.
It just wasn’t that kind of show.
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while your point is well taken regarding gutfeld’s 90 min earlier time slot, to be fair you should point out the massive difference in number of markets. gutfeld! has 40% + less markets yet consistently beats the other guys. I will add that Gutfeld has 100% spoken with respect of Fallon, and has praised his wide range of talent.
I thought his guest visit on fallon was just perfect, careful yet very entertaining.
“gutfeld! has 40% + less markets yet consistently beats the other guys.”
That’s because he’s on Fox News, where far too many Americans thinks looking at shit is informative and entertaining! No one of real thought and insight would ever watch anything on Fox News, much less that humoless asswipe, Gutfool!
You should take the Mensa test. See how you do. Heard of it? Lol.
Dood, you really have issues, you really should get that checked out soon…
Like I’m serious, you got anger issues I mean like “serious” mental shit going on that needs attention, PROFESSIONAL ATTENTION!😞
Good luck buddy, Hope you feel better! 🙏🏾
Hey Jaco, I know what to do! Kick your ugly fucking face in with steel toed boor=ts, bitchhole!
Don’t start nothin’, and there won’t be nothin’! Understand, you fucking retard!
Yeah, I know what it is, Carteer, you retard! Now here something challenging for you! Try and put the pegs in their right holes! The square peg does not go in the round hole, no matter how many times you try, retard!
Yes I have, Carteer, and you should go first! or are you too big a chickenshit to discover you’re a fucking retard?
I’m perfectly fine, Jaco you jagoff! I have zero tolerance on those that spread their lies and bullshit around. Not to mention holier than thou cocksuckers like you telling me what to do! How be I deal with these so called issues you say I have by unloading all over your fucking face with my boots, retard?
Back the fuck off, for your physical well being! Understand bitchole?
It’s refreshing to see the royalty of late night can show us all how to steer clear of touchy topics. Just bring laughter to us!
Gutfeld and Fallon are late night royalty???
See a doctor.
No politics?
How did Johnny Carson do that for decades?
And he was #1?
“Inconceivable!”
He had no competition, retard!
Arsenio Hall never existed?
How racist are you….well you are a Democrat (home of the KKK), so pretty racist.
How did things work out for Arsenio after Carson retired? Not good! His show was cancelled after Carson left! That’s just the numbers, not racism.
But you’re a racist, because you worship that racist fat fuck Drumpf! You love how he’s pulling people who’ve lived in America since they were born out of their homes and shipped off to a concentration camp in the swamps.
Fucktards like you are why America is despised around the world, bitch!
You do understand that Carson was replaced by Jay Leno, correct?
Why did you lie that Carson has no competition when he had Arsenio Hall to compete with?
Perhaps because Arsenio Hall is Black and Victor the Crab is really Victor the KKK.
There were other talk shows during Carson’s run, but Johnny was king. Carson drew audiences twice as big as Kimmel, Colbert and Fallon COMBINED.
He had no competition because he kicked everyone’s ass!
Arsenio was cancelled, because everyone grew tired of him quickly!
And you Republican bumlickers of Drumpf are the party of racists now!
Why the fuck do you continue to make a fucking ass of yourself, retard?
“He had no competition because he kicked everyone’s ass!”
So he had no competition because Carson stayed out of politics, thanks for proving my point.,…but do we really want affirmation from Victor the KKK who thinks Arsenio Hall shouldn’t exist because he’s Black?
Yeah, retard, it was like the 1985 Chicago Bears taking on a bunch of Pop Warner kids. You may think that’s competition, but it’s nothing but a joke! It just proves my theory that Carson had no competition because there was no one of his equal!
And you continuing to shove the race card in my face won’t work, retard! Especially when you claim I hate Arsenio Hall, which I never said! It’s just your retarded self lamely trying to shove words into my mouth! Because all you can do is project your retarded shit onto others, because you have no factual basis for your opinions!
Grow up, cunt!
Calling Arsenio Hall a kid is basically calling him a boy. Your racism is quite evident Victor the KKK.
You living in Canada is a choice due to the lack of Blacks in Canada, so living in a racist country like Canada has made you hate people like Arsenio Hall.
Shame on you.
Shame on me? You are so desperate to hang a racist label on me, that you’re pathetically trying to bend the meaning of words to fit your retarded narrative! Trying to slap a racist label on a Pop Warner team is the sign that you’re too fucking stupid to have a conversation with , and that anyone would be dumb enough to have you on their debate team, because they’d lose the minute you open up that stupid mouth of yours!
Do you take great pride in being a racist retard? Because that’s what you actually are! A Drumpf licker that hates anyone not a white straight Christian male, and projects their racism onto people in the lame attempt at winning an argument!
And you have the fucking gall to tell me I should feel shame! Go eat all the shit covered dicks in the world, loser!
Your attempt to eliminate Arsenio Hall shows your true racist colors Victor the KKK.
Just like the KKK Democrat party, you would feel welcome in the Democrat KKK mob that killed hundreds of Blacks during the Tulsa riots.
Why do you hate Black people so much, Victor the KKK?
I don’t you fucking retard! But you do, with your slobbering support of that racist fuck, Drumpf!
Just why are you so fucking hung up on trying to slap a racist tag on me, like a ten year old that keeps skipping its Ritalin? You’re just in desperation mode right now, because you have nothing to help you out, and you’re trying to get the last word in as a pathetic attempt to win the argument!
Every bullshit point you make keeps getting easily refuted, so you’re left with name calling, which just makes you look desperate and stupid! If more people were exposed to your train of thought, you’d be the loneliest person in the world because everyone would stay the fuck away from you!
You’re a loser who thinks he’s winning! Just like your fellow pedophile, Drumpf! Sad!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Johnny Carson’s preferences for not going into politics on his show in 1979 was his opinion, not some ironclad, set-in-stone rule for hosting every late night talk show until the end of time. Carson reruns are being shown at 11:35 ET in different markets right now on Antenna TV, and they’re not making a dent in the ratings. Jack Paar was #1 in the ratings until he quit the “Tonight Show”, and he interviewed Fidel frickin’ Castro as a guest… *in Cuba*.
Johnny’s approach was also something that fit the “only-three-networks” model of broadcast television— in an age when politics wasn’t openly talked about for various reasons, and during a time when Carson’s main competition for decades were test patterns and sleep (Arsenio started three years before Johnny stepped down). It doesn’t really fit in the 24-hour, 500-channel, YouTube- and TikTok-competing, stream-rolling model of splinterized narrowcast television of today— in an age when people are more inclined to share their political beliefs (not the least because politics have infused everyday life more than almost any other time in American history). Meanwhile, Gutfeld supporters are calling Greg the “King of Late Night” and he is just as political as Colbert, just on the other side the aisle (and in prime time).
As mentioned elsewhere on this site, Colbert wasn’t doing too well against Fallon until he started doing more political humor. Then he consistently got to #1 in the 11:35 slot. Everyone who keeps referencing Carson as a model to do every late night talk show ignores another piece of advice that Johnny gave to Conan O’Brien shortly after the 2004 announcement of Conan taking over the “Tonight Show”:
“Just be yourself. It’s the only way it’ll work.”
If a host is more comfortable doing political humor/satire on the show, then that host should do so. If they’re more comfortable doing more random news stories, then they should do that. If they want to use puppets or a robot skeleton, more power to them.
There is no one way to successfully do a talk show. If there were, no talk show would ever get canceled, going all the way back to Rick Dees, Alan Thicke, and Joey Bishop. If a host is doing something what Johnny wouldn’t have done, that’s no indicator that the host will fail. Late night talk shows are still following some version of the Carson formula, that is true, but it’s the individuality of the hosts that can really make the shows shine.
Terrible advice.
When you decide one political party is off-limits to satire, it stops being a talk show and turns into a political propaganda outlet, and subsequently, into cancellation.
Brandon, that was an excellent summation, imo. TV has changed and so have politics. Fallon went from first to third precisely because audiences demanded that everyone take a side and he wouldn’t do it.
Spoken like a fucking ignorant retard who’s never watched any of their shows, right Marky Bitchole? Otherwise you’d know that they DO go after Democrats, you pathetic loser!
Those shows do NOT “shine” all are rating s disasters. They get around 2 – 2.5 million viewers. Jay Leno got around 5 million on average, Gutfeld! gets over 3 million with 1 tenth the staff and half the potential viewership. All three of your programs that “shine” lose a lot of money, Gutfeld! makes money… time time to wake up
Because he’s on Fox News, Bitchy! Take him outside his bubble, and he fails!
No sane person likes any of those toxic Fox News personalities!
Mark:
The talk shows did a lot of satire about the side in power during the Biden years. Granted, there were still a lot of Trump jokes, but that’s mainly because he wouldn’t shut up for five minutes about the 2020 election or some other nonsense, so he was always in the spotlight.
Styles:
You cannot compare Leno’s numbers from 2014 to the current shows’ numbers in 2025. Eleven years may not seem like a long time, but an entire generation of people have come of age without network television being a central focal point of their choices in entertainment. I’m sure that if Leno were still on some late night talk show on network TV, his numbers would be as bad as the rest because the audience simply isn’t there to back it up at such a late hour. As I’ve repeatedly said, Gutfeld’s show is on in prime time— as early as 7pm on the west coast— so sure, it’ll get more people because more of that show’s target audience is awake. Most of Fox News’ older viewers still watch their programs as they air on TV, so they’re not losing a lot of their audience that are watching the show on YouTube. I’d like to see official numbers behind how much money Greg’s show is making (unless you work for Fox News, you cannot say for certain if they are making money).
Fard, Colbert had 200+ Democrat politicians on his show to zero Trump supporting politicians.
That’s not late night comedy, that’s a propaganda outlet.
Again, this is what happens when people decide one political party is off-limits to satire.
why doesn’t Gutfeld trash Republican politicians and MAGA to make it equal?…because he works in the ultimate bubble and if he took his audience outside of their cocoon he wouldn’t have a show
See Fard? You can’t reach out to stupidfuck Drumpf licking losers, like Mark Anderson, because they live in a world where they feel persecuted for their racism and bigotry and want their lord and master to return to the way things were where they could attack and assault anyone they feel without getting charged for it! Best to just point our fingers at them and remind them just how big a bunch of losers they are!
Media coverage of late night TV routinely ignores Gutfeld. As of last night’s Fallon appearance, no one can pretend Gutfeld doesn’t exist. For the moment, anyway.
Because Gutfool is a propagandist hack who’s about as funny as stage 5 cancer!
I guess that’s why he’s one of the highest rated talent’s on all of cable news. #1 cable show The Five and his own Gutfeld! show… and he does it with about 1/2 the potential audience of Kimmel, Colbert or Fallon
The combined IQ of Gutfool’s audience, including you, wouldn’t even make it to room temperature. A tasteless shitshow, from a right wing propaganda outfit no sane person would ever watch!
That’s not the flex you right wing retards want it to be, cunt!
Gutfield is not Late Night, it airs at 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, or 10:00, depending on your market. Gutfield actually took slight digs at Trump.
Big city liberals always talk about right wingers like they’re seeing zoo animals from another part of the world. “I would’ve expected THIS, but they did THAT.” People who actually watch Gutfeld are mostly there for the comedy and the very good natured hang. It’s likely no surprise to most of us that Gutfeld went to this apolitical program and chose to try entertaining and connecting instead of foisting his politics on people.
That’s because you fucking MAGAts DO behave like animals, the way you filth go after marginalized groups and attack them just for existing.
And Gutfool is about as funny as a terminal diagnosis! He’s on a so-called news channel that propagates lies and attacks anything they don’t like as liberal!
You may have the high numbers, but your combined IQs wouldn’t even reach room temperature!
You missed the point, Vic. Your idea of what a right winger is comes from a cartoon created by people who don’t know any right wingers, and that’s why Bill is surprised by last night’s outcome while right wingers generally aren’t.
Look at your post and then tell me who’s an animal. Or better still, look in the mirror
propagates lies? So here’s the part where I’ll ask you to give some examples of these so-called lies, just a few? Even one maybe?
But you won’t do that, really because you can’t.
Instead you’ll bark an insult you think sounds clever in that brainwashed head of urs…😞
Just remember losers get mad, And I only feel bad for you! Good luck bud.
I could, Jaco. But you being a right wing retard means you won’t believe anything I give you! You believe what Fox News tells you to think, and all they give you is lies!
Walk along now, before daddy beats your bare ass with the leather belt!
You are, Styles Bitchin’! Got a problem with that, you retarded cunt?
Oh I know what a right winger is, Mikey you fucked in the head shit for brains! They’re all whinny little bitches who can’t stand the fact that “those people” they’ve spent their whole likes keeping down and making their lives miserable have the same rights as you and I. So they spend their times trying to find ways to make them miserable, while regaining the privilege they think they’re entitled to have, just because!
Right wingers like you, Mikey?
Don’t like it? Then say hello to the sole of my boot as it violently stomps your big mouth, cunt!
Yawn. What did or would you expect? A politically riveting and charged controversial, dead serious examination and heated conversation to include a failed nightly host losing $40 million a year as a plausible reason for getting terminated and cancelled? Or some TDS Trump bashing condescending critique and vitriolic rhetoric and criticism? Nope. You got some jovial backstory of a day gone by. Don’t be burdened by what might have been. Lol.
They’ll come for you too, bitch! They always do!
You’re just too big a retard to realize it!
They’ll eventually get around to you too, imp. You take that Mensa practice test yet? It’s free. Better yet to not waste your time. You’re a low score.
I live in Canada, cunt! No way I’m stepping foot in that fucking hellhole retards like you made!
And I suggest you take that Mensa test yourself, bitch. You’ll be shocked at how retarded you actually are! But that’s no surprise, given how you keep bringing up the same shit over and over, because you haven’t an original retort to give me!
You’re just a fucking lame loser, bitchole!
How eloquently stated. You kiss your momma with that foul mouth clown boy? Hard to believe a loser sperm like you beat the pack to Canada egg paradise. Must have been a fluke for sure. Stay up north and wallow freezing your dumb stupid ass off all winter. You deserve it. I’ll be laughing. You twit. Morons like you do nothing but take up space and run your stupid mouth.
You gonna cry harder for me, fucking bitchboy? You got nothing but juvenile insults at me because you have nothing, thereby proving my point about a stupid loser like you!
Go crawl back up Drumpf’s asshole, bitchface! it’s where you reatards love to hang out at!