A fiery on-air confrontation erupted between Fox News personality Greg Gutfeld and his co-panelist Jessica Tarlov during late March and early April 2026, representing one of multiple disputes between the pair as polling declined for President Donald Trump, fueling growing unease at the cable outlet.
Gutfeld, the host of “Gutfeld!” airing weeknights at 10 p.m., has repeatedly clashed with Tarlov, a progressive commentator who offers opposing viewpoints on Fox broadcasts. Their exchanges have become progressively sharper as the channel handles reporting on the president’s problematic survey results.
The friction becomes especially uncomfortable considering the president’s own public obsession with survey information. In a March 27 guest spot on “The Five,” Trump openly attacked Fox News’ survey division, stating, “I hate Fox polls. Honestly, whoever does your polls are terrible.” The president additionally asserted he had discussed with Fox Corp chairman emeritus Rupert Murdoch the possibility of changing the outlet’s polling firm—though Murdoch had declined to act.
The president’s hostility toward Tarlov intensified during late March and early April. In his March 26 phone interview on “The Five,” with Tarlov not present, the president informed the hosts he was “not a fan” of the Democratic analyst. “I think your show would be better without her, but who am I to say that?” he said. Subsequently, during the evening of April 6, the president posted on Truth Social a message directed at Fox management, declaring, “Take Jessica Tarlov off the air. She is, from her voice to her lies, and everything else about her, one of the worst ‘personalities’ on television, a real loser! People cannot stand watching her.” The reason for the message remained uncertain, since Tarlov had not been on that particular broadcast. Tarlov replied via social platforms, noting she was “so bummed” to miss the show, adding she “definitely would’ve said he’s even inflating his numbers to 42 percent.”
These remarks were followed by a Fox News survey one day, revealing his disapproval rating hitting 59 percent, his worst figure across both presidential terms, with total approval standing at merely 41 percent.
The president’s survey difficulties have worsened sharply since initiating the Iran conflict in late February 2026. Based on Silver Bulletin data, the president’s approval percentage fell under 40 percent for the first time during his second administration in early April, with net approval dropping to -16.9. By mid-April, his net approval had held at -16.6, though his economic approval sat at -22 and his inflation approval at -34, both near second-term lows, according to Silver Bulletin. A CNN survey published April 1, 2026, revealed his economic approval had fallen to an unprecedented low of 31 percent, while approximately two-thirds of Americans indicated his actions had deteriorated economic circumstances.
The weakening figures have placed Fox personalities in an uncomfortable situation, with some minimizing the results while others acknowledge the administration’s difficulties. The tensions between Gutfeld and Tarlov have been brewing for months, with philosophical disagreements progressively turning personal.
Tarlov, a consistent presence on “The Five” for multiple years, is one of the program’s few progressive contributors. Her readiness to contest conservative narratives has transformed her interactions with Gutfeld into must-see television for certain audiences and a source of dispute. The friction showed no signs of abating in mid-April. On April 17, during “The Five,” Gutfeld challenged Tarlov by asking, “Why are you on the 20 of every 80/20 issue?” accusing her of prioritizing activist-class politics over the needs of ordinary Americans. Tarlov was visibly shaken by the exchange, at one point putting her head in her hands.
Gutfeld obtained his degree from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in English in 1987. He developed his professional path through political comedy and libertarian analysis. Newsweek labeled him the “King of Late Night” following “Gutfeld!” overtaking every broadcast and cable late-night show in audience size, including CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.”
Throughout the opening quarter of 2026, “Gutfeld!” attracted 3 million nightly viewers at 10 p.m., comfortably exceeding its late-night rivals. The program showcases recurring contributors, including Fox News panelist Kat Timpf and entertainer Tyrus.
Gutfeld additionally serves as co-host of “The Five”, broadcasting on weekdays at 5 p.m. and holding the position as cable news’ top-rated offering. The program continued its extended streak as cable news’ most-viewed show for 18 straight quarters during the first quarter of 2026, drawing nearly 4 million viewers on average.
Before his broadcasting profession, Gutfeld held a position as a staff writer at Prevention magazine and functioned as editor-in-chief of Men’s Health. He subsequently assumed the editor-in-chief role at Stuff magazine, expanding readership from 750,000 to 1.2 million subscribers. He additionally oversaw Maxim magazine in the United Kingdom and wrote for the Huffington Post from its 2005 inception through 2008. He became part of Fox News Channel in 2007 as a contributor, leading the late-night program “Red Eye” from 2007 to 2015 and “The Greg Gutfeld Show” from 2015-2021.
As President Trump and Vice President Vance reach the halfway mark of their opening year in office, these survey obstacles have remained a central focus both during broadcasts and behind the scenes at Fox News, the channel that contributed to the president’s original political rise ten years earlier.