Greg Gutfeld is going to get a workout during the Republican National Convention.
The Fox News opinion host will hold forth in front of a live studio audience at 11 p.m. on each night of the RNC, slated to take place in Milwaukee from July 15 to July 18. His “Gutfeld!” has helped Fox News go after the audience that might otherwise seek late-night-style humor from long-running programs on NBC, ABC, CBS and Comedy Central.
Many of the nation’s late-night programs are taped earlier in the evening, but CBS’ “The Late Show” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” are known for breaking tradition and going live late at night when big political events take place, the better to offer fresh commentary on important developments. During the RNC, “Gutfeld!” will vie with “The Daily Show” in the same time slot on the east coast, and, in its second half hour, compete with CBS’ Stephen Colbert, NBC’s Jimmy Fallon and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel.
CBS’ “Late Show” plans to broadcast live from New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater on each night following the RNC, and travel to Chicago for the DNC. “Daily” has announced plans to broadcast live on the final night of both the Republican and Democratic conventions
Gutfeld will be joined each night by panelist Kat Timpf, a show regular, and three guests, along with a live studio audience from the vicinity of the convention. The group will offer commentary and satire, all tied to the convention and other news of the day.
Gutfeld’s weeknight show plays a significant role in Fox News’ widening efforts to court fans of late-night humor. The program, which normally airs at 10 p.m. on the east coast, has recently reached an average of more than 2.2 million viewers ,and is on track to have its most-watched year since its debut. Comedian Jimmy Failla hosts a comedy roundtable on Fox News each Saturday night. And Fox Nation, the sibling Fox News streaming service, is relying more heavily on stand-up concerts from comics like Roseanne Barr or documentaries featuring Dan Aykroyd and a group of former cast members from NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Dennis Miller, the former host of the “Saturday Night Live” mainstay “Weekend Update” — who has led late-night-styled talk shows on HBO and CNBC and in syndication — recently hosted a Fox Nation documentary series about infomercials.
Fox News is shaking up its entire evening schedule during the RNC. The live “Gutfeld!” will follow “Democracy 24: Republican National Convention,” a primetime coverage block led by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Source Agencies
