Late night may be shuttered during the WGA strike, but there’s still one host who is proudly still on the air as his TV peers continue to strike: Greg Gutfeld.
“I have the No. 1 late night show,” Gutfeld said Monday during Fox’s 2023 upfront presentation. “I only have a late night show – sorry – right now, so you have no choice in the matter. And I am without a choice.”
Gutfeld’s “The Five” comment to Fox News is correct. He has the most-watched late night show, mainly because his is the only show still airing new episodes. On May 2, the WGA officially announced that it was going on strike. Immediately following the strike order, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “Saturday Night Live” all reported that they would be going dark regarding the strike. That “Gutfeld!”
Because “Gutfeld!” While non-union, the series has been able to air new episodes throughout the strike. Although its host has joked that the Fox show is the No. 1 late-night program because it has no competition, it often does even when Colbert and company are in the mix. Since its relaunch two years ago, “Gutfeld!” Its broadcasts often outperform late-night competitors in terms of total viewership. In April, the series had a total audience of 1.8 million, surpassing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” or “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” The series has also bested Late Night with Stephen Colbert in total viewers three times. That being said, due to its shifted airtime and the demographic weaknesses surrounding the series, it is not an accurate comparison.
Gutfeld’s gloating was in stark contrast to the rest of Fox’s advance presentation, which was largely professional in discussing the WGA strike. During the upfront, Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade said, “While we anticipate the writers’ strike to end soon, we look forward to serving our audiences and rolling out a fantastic schedule of original unscripted content.” Similarly, on a conference call with the press earlier Monday, Wade said, “Obviously, nobody wants this strike,” and “our thoughts go out to the writers in a moment.”
