Greg Gutfeld: From Red Eye Underdog to the King of Late Night

Greg Gutfeld has become a household name, a media force whose irreverent voice dominates television at a time when traditional late-night hosts are struggling to hold onto their audiences. With The Five and Gutfeld! consistently topping the ratings, he is now widely recognized as the King of Late Night. But as dazzling as his success looks today, the road to the top was anything but smooth—and it all began with a scrappy experiment that almost no one believed in.

The Fallon Moment

When Gutfeld appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, critics dismissed it as a gimmick. Yet the numbers told a different story: the broadcast pulled in Fallon’s highest ratings of the year. For Fox News fans, it was validation. For Gutfeld’s critics, it was proof that ignoring him was no longer an option.

But this high-profile victory was only the latest chapter in a career that defied expectations. To understand Gutfeld’s ascent, you have to go back to where it all began—Red Eye.

A Late-Night Experiment

Launched in 2007, Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld was a bizarre, edgy, and often chaotic show that aired at 3 a.m. Eastern time—hardly a prime slot. Most media observers predicted it would fade into obscurity. But Gutfeld, never one to play by conventional rules, leaned into the weirdness.

With a rotating cast of comedians, commentators, and unexpected guests, Red Eye blended absurdist humor with sharp commentary. The show became a cult favorite, especially among younger, politically curious viewers who felt alienated by the polished tones of traditional news.

Gutfeld later admitted that the very lack of expectations gave him freedom. “Nobody was watching us,” he said in an interview, “so we could do whatever we wanted.” That freedom allowed him to develop the quirky, fearless style that would later define Gutfeld!

The Bold Move

But the turning point came when Gutfeld made a bold and risky decision: he shifted Red Eye away from being a novelty program and began experimenting with real cultural and political commentary—while still keeping the comedy front and center. This hybrid approach was unlike anything else on television.

Critics scoffed. Executives were unsure. But viewers responded. Ratings, modest as they were, began to climb. Word of mouth spread online. By taking an underdog time slot and turning it into a laboratory for something fresh, Gutfeld had carved out a unique identity.

That bold pivot, insiders say, was the launchpad that made Fox executives take notice—and paved the way for his later move to The Five.

The Rise with The Five

When The Five debuted in 2011, it was supposed to be a temporary replacement program. Instead, it became one of Fox’s most successful panel shows. Gutfeld’s sharp humor and contrarian takes balanced the more traditional political analysis of his co-hosts. He was unpredictable, and audiences loved it.

Over time, he became an indispensable part of the program. As The Five rose in popularity, so too did Gutfeld’s profile, setting the stage for his ultimate gamble: launching his own prime-time late-night show.

Gutfeld! Dominates

When Gutfeld! premiered in 2021, few thought it could seriously compete with legacy late-night institutions like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert or The Tonight Show. But within months, Gutfeld was not just competing—he was beating them.

Viewers flocked to his no-filter style, his comedic skewering of media and politics, and his willingness to punch in all directions. By 2022, Gutfeld! was regularly drawing higher ratings than its network competitors, cementing his crown as the King of Late Night.

An Unconventional Voice

Greg Gutfeld’s rise proves that television success doesn’t always come from following formulas. It comes from breaking them. What began as a late-night afterthought in Red Eye has grown into one of the most dominant voices in media today.

As Gutfeld himself once put it: “You don’t have to follow the rules if you’re the one rewriting them.”