Conservatives who were hoping that Fox News Channel would get rid of token liberal host Jessica Tarlov got some bad news, as she has renewed her contract with the network for another three years. The leftist co-host of The Five has officially locked in her position at the table, meaning there will be more clashes with the channel’s conservative heavyweights.
Tarlov, a Democratic Party strategist, sat down for an interview with Marie Claire where she opened up about the new contract she signed, saying she viewed the deal as validation that Fox still sees value in having her voice on one of its most-watched programs. “It’s always a great affirmation of your seat at the table,” Tarlov said during the discussion.
“No matter how contentious it looks or difficult or terrible to some people, that you’re a valued element in this discourse,” she continued. Tarlov is the only liberal voice who regularly appears on The Five, where she routinely gets into heated spats with conservative commentators Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, and Dana Perino.
According to Trending Politics News, the conversations quickly take turns toward fiery debates, with Tarlov being outnumbered as she attempts to build a valid argument against a panel filled with some of the brightest conservative thinkers at the network. Tarlov revealed during the interview that she typically only gets about 90 seconds to make a point, so she has to utilize her words carefully or risk wasting time.
Tarlov stated that she sometimes starts her responses with humor or a backhanded compliment to try lowering the temperature in the room before she starts to present her argument. She called the tactic her “olive branch.” She then said, “If I’m going to get 90 seconds, I want to make the most of it.” Tarlov then said that despite the heated debates, relationships behind the scenes are a lot less hostile than viewers might think.
“Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld actually care about me as a person,” she told Claire. “And that doesn’t make them soften their political opinions, even though I think that they should in some cases, especially when they’re enormously wrong.” Tarlov said that the co-hosts’ friendships continue long after the cameras are off.
Tarlov then revealed that she and Gutfeld regularly text each other throughout the week, and she recently visited his apartment and attended his daughter’s first birthday party. The liberal host also communicates with Watters’ wife, Emma DiGiovine, and spent some time with Perino for dinner and a show on Broadway. Tarlov said keeping those friendships requires separating the person from their political views.
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“[It’s about] fundamentally understanding them as people and how they think about politics,” instead of seeing them as “a set of political opinions.” The Fox personality also stated that she has come to understand that for some of her colleagues, like Watters and Gutfeld, politics are not the central focus of their entire lives. Tarlov noted that disagreements with her co-workers are simply part of the job.
Watch Gutfeld and the panel toast Tarlov here: