Late night television changed forever on April 5, 2021.
Greg Gutfeld brought the free spirit he summoned on Fox News’ “Red Eye” to the format, game-shaking in the process.
It didn’t take long for the “Gutfeld!” make inroads into the ratings war. Months after its debut, the Fox News showcase threatened Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” for the ratings crown.
Soon, “Gutfeld!” knocked them all down.
Gutfeld will mark his late-night supremacy with a new tour and book coming this summer. “The King of Late Night” (July 25) looks back at the show’s early days and how it overtook iconic programs like “The Tonight Show.”
Gutfeld! Marks’ birthday with double-digit ratings rises as host declares himself ‘king of the late night’ with new book https://t.co/G67IVzohlR
— Zachary Leeman (@WritingLeeman) April 6, 2023
The tour will hit Atlanta (June 17), Clearwater, Florida (July 15), Fort Meyers, Florida (July 16), Providence, RI (July 29), and Reading, Pennsylvania (September 16).
Gutfeld’s arrival did more than give liberal politicians fits. This coincided with the departure of several key players from the field.
TBS finally released Samantha Bee, for example. The network apparently couldn’t stand the way “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” earned awful ratings week after week.
Showtime hit “Desus & Mero” fell apart when the hosts’ off-screen bickering put an end to the good times.
James Corden has announced he will be stepping down from his “Late Late Show” perch, with CBS considering a reboot of the game show as a replacement.
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The biggest change came with the show changing the face of the late night before Gutfeld’s rise. Trevor Noah announced that he was ending his poorly rated run as host of “The Daily Show”, and the rotation of guest hosts did not reverse that drop in ratings.
Today, “Gutfeld! goes neck and neck with Stephen Colbert’s far-left “Late Show” for late-night bragging rights.
Team Gutfeld does more than that, however.
Late Night TV Ratings March 20-26
1⃣@GutfeldFox! @GregGutfeld
2⃣@JimmyKimmel
3⃣@JimmyFallon
4⃣@StephenAtHome
5⃣@SRuhle
6⃣@FoxNewsNight @TraceGallagher
7⃣@BillMaher
8⃣@Night line
9⃣@SethMeyers
🔟@JKCorden
#11 @TheDailyShow @AlFranken
#12 @TheLauraCoates
#13 @SchmittNYC
#14… pic.twitter.com/Yd96tIqYX0— RoadMN 📈 (@RoadMN) March 28, 2023
“Gutfield! offers freethinking comedians a place to pitch their product, hone their media chops, and expand their already sizable audience. Think:
- jimmy fault
- Michael Loftus
- Joe DeVito
- Tom Shillue
- Jim Norton
- Jamie Lissow
- joe machi
- Nick DiPaolo
Additionally, the show allows apolitical people who challenge corporate narratives, like Dr. Drew Pinsky, to have their say.
The most amazing part of the “Gutfeld!” emergence? No other platform has attempted to replicate the show’s right-wing worldview.
Gutfeld’s talents are key to the show’s success, but so is his willingness to poke fun at Democrats and his progressive overreach. Still, we haven’t seen a like-minded competitor on Netflix, Hulu, or any existing cable or streaming platform.
Television executives would rather leave money on the table than appeal to Central America.
Gutfeld has the field all to himself, which is why he will remain the “late night king” for the foreseeable future.
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