If you’ve ever watched Greg Gutfeld on The Five today, you know it’s basically like sitting in a bar with that one friend who’s smarter than you but also slightly more annoying.
It’s messy. It’s loud. People talk over each other.
And yet, it is the most-watched show in cable news, often pulling in over 4 million viewers—more than most of the prime-time heavy hitters. Honestly, it’s kinda fascinating how a show that feels like a group text brought to life has become the center of the political universe.
Why Greg Gutfeld on The Five Today Still Dominates the Ratings
Most people think cable news is for people over eighty who can't find the remote. They're wrong.
Actually, the secret sauce of Greg Gutfeld on The Five today is that it doesn't feel like "news" in the traditional sense. While other anchors are reading from teleprompters with the gravity of a funeral director, Gutfeld is usually making a joke about someone's outfit or comparing a political scandal to a bad Tinder date.
He's the "King of Late Night" during the day.
By the time the show airs at 5 PM ET, Gutfeld has already spent his morning prepping for his own 10 PM show, Gutfeld!. This gives him a weird, frantic energy on the round-table. He isn't there to give you the "who, what, where, when." He's there to tell you why the "who" is an idiot.
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The Dynamics of the Round Table
You’ve got the regular cast: Dana Perino, the "voice of reason" who often looks like she’s babysitting; Jesse Watters, who basically plays the role of the cool older brother; and then the rotating "liberal" chair, often occupied by Jessica Tarlov or Harold Ford Jr.
The chemistry is everything.
- The Conflict: Gutfeld and Tarlov have become the main event. In recent episodes throughout January 2026, they’ve been going at it over everything from the DOJ investigations into Minnesota leaders to the latest Nobel Peace Prize drama.
- The Humor: Gutfeld’s role is the disruptor. He breaks the tension with subversion.
- The Pace: The show moves so fast you can’t look away. If you blink, you’ll miss a joke about Gutfeld’s height or a dig at the New York Times.
What Really Happened With Greg Gutfeld Today?
If you missed the latest broadcast, you missed a masterclass in what Gutfeld calls "the beehive."
Just this week, he’s been hammering on the idea of political consequences. He famously noted that when you "kick over a beehive," you shouldn't complain when the bees come back. It’s a metaphor he’s been using to describe the current state of federal investigations into local leaders, particularly in Minneapolis.
He doesn't do nuance well, and he’d be the first to admit it.
Gutfeld’s brand is essentially "anti-woke" satire. Whether he's discussing the "liberal Joe Rogan" or mocking the way politicians use French accents to sound sophisticated, his goal is to point out the absurdity of the elite. It’s why his segments on The Five today are clipped and shared so much on social media.
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People love the "punch back" energy.
The Ratings Reality
Let's look at the numbers because they don't lie. As of early 2026, The Five remains the #1 program on Fox News, frequently beating out even Jesse Watters' primetime slot and Sean Hannity.
- Total Viewers: Averaging around 4,046,000.
- The Growth: Up nearly 40% year-over-year in some weeks.
- The Demo: It’s crushing the 25-54 age bracket, which is what advertisers actually care about.
It turns out people don't want a lecture at 5 PM. They want a hang.
The Gutfeld Effect: More Than Just a TV Host
One thing the critics always get wrong is thinking Gutfeld is just a "talking head."
He’s actually a former magazine editor (Men’s Health, Maxim UK) and a best-selling author. He understands how to craft a hook. He knows that in 2026, the attention economy is the only economy that matters. If you aren't interesting, you're extinct.
That’s why he’s taking the show on the road.
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He recently announced a 2026 tour with Tom Shillue. He’s playing arenas in places like Charlotte, Frisco, and Henderson. Think about that for a second. A cable news personality is selling out arenas for a comedy tour. It’s sort of a "stink bomb hurled into every faculty lounge," as one critic famously put it.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think Gutfeld is a traditional Republican. He’s not.
He’s a libertarian-leaning satirist who hates being told what to do. He’s just as likely to mock the "establishment" on the right as he is on the left, though he clearly has a favorite target these days. He views the world through the lens of individual liberty and personal responsibility, wrapped in a layer of 1980s punk rock sensibilities.
How to Get the Most Out of The Five
If you want to keep up with Greg Gutfeld on The Five today, don't just watch the show. Follow the subtext.
Pay attention to when he doesn't talk. Usually, if he's quiet while Dana or Jesse are speaking, he's loading a "bomb" for the next segment. He’s also increasingly using his platform to promote his new Fox Nation game show, Gutfeld's What Did I Miss?, which is basically a more unfiltered version of his TV persona.
Actionable Insights for the Viewer:
- Watch for the "One More Thing" segment: This is where the cast's real personalities come out. Gutfeld usually uses this time to show a video of a cat or mock a weird tech gadget.
- Track the Debate: Notice how Gutfeld uses humor to pivot away from talking points he finds boring. It's a classic rhetorical trick.
- Check the Clips: If you can't watch the full hour, the best Gutfeld moments usually hit YouTube within 30 minutes of the show ending.
The reality is that Greg Gutfeld on The Five today isn't going anywhere. He’s the most dangerous man on television because he’s figured out the one thing the "serious" news people haven't: if you can make people laugh, you can make them listen.
To stay ahead of the curve, you should keep an eye on his guest hosts. The rotating liberal chair is the best way to see which way the political wind is blowing, as Gutfeld uses those debates to test out his monologues for his late-night show. If a joke kills at 5 PM, you can bet it'll be the lead at 10 PM.