She arrives prepared with data-driven talking points and uses them to force often immovable co-hosts to engage—even as Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld try to knock her off stride with mockery and interruptions.
“Interruptions are an indication that you’re winning,” Tarlov said, echoing a theme from her book “I Disagree.”
She maps out multiple debate scenarios, including when to lean on statistics and when to ease off. She also argues for letting opponents vent, as she did when co-hosts grew emotional after the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.Tarlov says the show’s durability rests on off-camera camaraderie.
Panelists clash on air over President Trump’s policies and the Democratic Party’s left wing, then support one another afterward. Three of them share the same CAA agent. “We don’t talk politics outside of work,” she said.
She remains part of the Fox News lineup and recently signed a three-year contract, despite Donald Trump’s suggestion that “The Five” would be better without her.
Acceptance on the left has come more slowly. Many progressive pundits dismiss Fox News because its biggest stars are staunch Trump allies. Tarlov also declines to follow every Democratic position and trend, which has delayed her credibility with some like-minded commentators.