Greg Gutfeld has never shied away from stirring the pot. The Fox News personality turned late-night disruptor is once again making waves, this time with bold claims about how his show Gutfeld! surged to success not because of luck, but because traditional late-night hosts left a massive audience untapped.

“There was literally free money on the table, and so I took it,” Gutfeld said in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times. His blunt assessment is both a victory lap and a challenge to the late-night establishment, which has faced mounting struggles in recent years.

From Panelist to Primetime

For years, Gutfeld was best known for his offbeat commentary on Fox’s The Five and his earlier stint hosting the satirical Red Eye. But when Fox handed him a late-night–styled show in 2021, few expected it would seriously challenge the likes of Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, or Seth Meyers.

Fast-forward to 2025, and Gutfeld! has not only survived but thrived, ranking among the most-watched late-night programs on television. While the format borrows heavily from Fox News’ culture-war playbook, Gutfeld insists its success comes down to tone.

“I showed [mainstream media] that they don’t own the culture,” he said. “You took people for granted, you insulted everybody else, and we’re the ones now who are having fun.”

Fun vs. Outrage

That word — fun — is central to Gutfeld’s pitch. He argues that traditional late-night shows have become too reliant on nightly political outrage, alienating audiences who want to laugh rather than be lectured.

“I think doing a late-night show that makes everyone feel bad is a disservice,” Gutfeld said. “That’s when you have people switching the channel to come to us. They didn’t even know that we existed until then.”

By contrast, Gutfeld positions Gutfeld! as a place where viewers can relax and laugh, even if the jokes are often laced with partisan barbs. “They don’t own the culture,” he repeated. “We do.”

A Shifting Late-Night Landscape

Gutfeld’s comments come at a precarious moment for the late-night genre. CBS recently canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert despite its consistent No. 1 ranking among broadcast late-night programs. Budget cuts, declining ratings, and the rise of streaming have forced networks to rethink their investment in shows once seen as cultural cornerstones.

Against that backdrop, Gutfeld’s success stands out. While critics dismiss his show as little more than Fox News with punchlines, his ability to attract an audience demonstrates that the format itself isn’t dead — it just depends on who you’re talking to, and how.

By tapping into viewers who felt ignored by traditional late-night, Gutfeld carved out a lane that mainstream networks left wide open. Or, as he put it: “free money on the table.”

Critics Push Back

Of course, not everyone buys Gutfeld’s framing. Detractors argue that Gutfeld!’s humor often veers more toward grievance than comedy, leaning heavily on the culture-war themes that dominate Fox News’ primetime lineup.

While Colbert, Kimmel, and Meyers frequently aim their jokes at power — skewering politicians and corporations alike — Gutfeld’s comedy often reflects Fox’s broader ideological slant. That raises questions about whether Gutfeld! is truly breaking new ground, or simply preaching to a built-in audience.

Still, even his critics concede that he’s tapped into something real: viewers who no longer see themselves represented in the slick, liberal-leaning humor of traditional late-night.

Crossing Over With Fallon

One of the more surprising turns in Gutfeld’s rise came when he made his Tonight Show debut last month. Appearing opposite Jimmy Fallon, Gutfeld drew strong ratings and revealed a different side of himself: less combative, more old-school entertainer.

“It was fun! It went the way I think we both wanted it to go, which was like an old-school TV segment you would have seen on Carson,” Gutfeld said. “Just two people having a fun conversation. I probably talked too much, but I had to tell that drinking story because I’ve been telling that story for years, and the only person I hadn’t told that to was Jimmy.”

Gutfeld emphasized his genuine friendship with Fallon, calling it refreshing compared to the performative rivalries that sometimes define late-night. “We genuinely like each other without that other bullsh*t,” he said.

Will Fallon Return the Favor?

Asked if he’s invited Fallon to appear on Gutfeld!, the Fox host admitted he hasn’t, noting that it’s a bigger commitment since his guests typically stick around for the full hour.

Still, he pointed out, “The president did do it, so…”

It was a reminder that Gutfeld! has already scored some high-profile appearances and doesn’t intend to play small ball. Whether Fallon eventually crosses over remains to be seen, but the exchange underscores how Gutfeld has positioned himself less as a rival to late-night peers and more as an outsider forcing them to acknowledge his presence.

Disruptor Narrative

If there’s one through-line in Gutfeld’s comments, it’s the idea of disruption. He frames himself as the guy who saw opportunity where others saw none, capitalizing on audiences left behind by what he calls the “cool kids at the table.”

“You took people for granted, you insulted everybody else,” he said. “We’re the ones now who are having fun.”

It’s a simple message, but an effective one — and it has allowed Gutfeld to turn his show into both a ratings hit and a cultural talking point, even as traditional late-night struggles to justify its existence.

What It Means for Late-Night’s Future

Gutfeld’s rise highlights a paradox. On one hand, his success proves that the late-night format isn’t obsolete. On the other, it underscores how fractured the audience has become. No single show will dominate the cultural conversation the way Johnny Carson once did. Instead, each host speaks to their own tribe.

For Colbert, Kimmel, and Meyers, that tribe leans progressive. For Fallon, it’s mainstream middle America. For Gutfeld, it’s the Fox News faithful who want comedy served with a side of culture-war commentary.

The days of one-size-fits-all late-night are gone. What remains are niches — and Gutfeld is thriving in his.

The Last Word

Greg Gutfeld’s claim that late-night left “free money on the table” may sound brash, but it reflects a reality that networks can’t ignore. By leaning into an audience overlooked by traditional players, he’s turned Gutfeld! into an unlikely late-night success story.

Whether you see him as a disruptor, a provocateur, or just another Fox News personality, Gutfeld has forced the industry to reckon with a simple truth: comedy and culture don’t belong to any one network, ideology, or format.

“They don’t own the culture,” Gutfeld said. “We do.”

And for now, at least, he’s laughing all the way to the ratings bank.