6 Reasons Gutfeld Is Late Night TV’s Biggest Surprise

For years, mainstream pop culture has refused to give half of America a late-night television show to call its own.

So Fox News stepped in.

The right-leaning platform introduced “Gutfeld!” — hosted by the network’s regular cut up, Greg Gutfeld — in April. The show wasn’t an overnight sensation. It took a few months for that phrase to officially apply.

Now, he’s at or near the top of the late-night ratings heap, depending on what metric you consider. How did it happen? Why are audiences flocking to a talk show with no “A-list” guests like Will Smith or Tom Hanks, a modest budget and the need for a cable subscription to consume it?

Gutfeld Isn’t the Flavor of the Month

Late night shows often skew young, and platforms turn to untested talent to hold down the comedy fort. It’s why NBC took a risk on an unknown “Simpsons” scribe named Conan O’Brien many years ago. The principle also applied to Trevor Noah, tasked with replacing late night icon Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” in 2015.

Gutfeld is different. Fox News viewers have been laughing with, not at, him for more than a decade. His TV comedy debut, “Red Eye,” drew hosannas even from some liberal critics. Gutfeld worked without a net on that groundbreaking show, and audiences gobbled it up.

He’s also no stranger to conservative viewers. In fact, they’ve grown to like and trust him with their satirical slams. So when he officially became a late night alternative, he already had a sizable fan base to fall back on. His audience only grew from there.

It’s the Bias, Stupid

Talk about leaving money on the table. Every late night show either leans to the Left or topples over placating progressives. A few shows aren’t so political, but when humorous push comes to shove they’d sooner smite Tucker Carlson than AOC. 

The major platforms surveyed the existing late-night landscape and said, “we need even more progressive talk.”Enter “Desus & Mero” and “Ziwe” (Showtime) and Sam Jay (HBO). Next up? Charlamagne tha God, courtesy of Comedy Central.

That means conservatives have few options when the clock strikes 11 p.m. Now, they do. And they’re acting accordingly.

Comedy Demands Surprise, Not Uniformity

Audiences know more or less what Stephen Colbert will say on “The Late Show” on any given night. They may not know the exact phrasing, but they understand who will be “destroyed” in the process. He’s as reliable as the sunrise, smiting