Gregory Gutfeld is not as controversial (in a bad way) as somebody like accused antisemite Tucker Carlson, and probably isn't as influential (in a badder way) as ivory-tower politicians like antisemite Barack Obama, but he is someone the American public should know and study. And yes, enjoy for many reasons.
He is the ultimate antiestablishment figure. As the old cliche goes, he speaks humor to power. In his shows, whether his late-night comedy show Gutfeld or his cohosting on Fox's The Five, he does not placate, brown-nose, or beg for praise like so many other cable television (looking at you, Megyn Kelly) hosts.
Part of the genius of Gutfeld is using humor to shape opinions. Many used op eds, blogs and speeches to get their point across but Gutfeld uses humor to make his point and get people to pay attention at the same time. Most people don’t have the power to tell off the elites as they so desperately want to do, so Gutfeld does that for them.
He answers the unrequited need of the citizenry, who want to insult and degrade the elites who are not their betters. Gutfeld champions individualism in an era dominated by identity and group politics. He argues that people should be defined by themselves, not by their race, gender, or other identities. As he stated himself, “I think it’s a terrible thing to lead with [identity]. I am all for being an individual…When you start talking about these characteristics that define you, it’s actually not defining you at all." When someone's identity is threatened by establishment-approve adjectives, they cannot defend themselves, as the "self" is by definition irrelevant to identity politics. Gutfeld recognizes that.
As what once was said, “Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.”
No wonder his show is top rated, even as a cable show beating the hell out of Seth Meyers or Jimmy Kimmel and other unfunny network shows. Let’s face it, most liberals just lack a sense of humor.
In a similar vein, he is also a critiquer of woke ideology. He calls it "wokeism" and doesn't shy away from calling it what it is: extremism. "Woke-ism is every bit as racist as white nationalism,” he said in 2023. Cancel culture, ideological intolerance, and social "justice" (more like social warfare) all are within this "woke" ideal that people cannot error and, like racism, immediately damn someone based on circumstances outside of their control. And like racism, wokeism is nothing more than glorified hatred, or a resentment with extra steps. He said so himself: "The woke offer no solutions except resentment." He knows, and has called out, that this is an ideology that offers nothing but anger. That, in itself, is against the American philosophy of individual liberty that has built this country up for three centuries.
Other men in history have also satisfied this need on the part of the citizenry to not bow down to royalty but instead bite their hand. Will Rogers and William F. Buckley. Both possessed stiletto wits which they often turned on the elites, satisfying a need in the populace to tell them to shut up. Rogers once said, “I don’t make jokes; I just watch the government and report the facts.” And Buckley once said of the passing of uber elitist Eleanor Roosevelt, “Some came to mourn her, some came to celebrate her, and some came to make sure.”
He often emphasizes that politics has become overcentralized and overvalued by one party, arguing that for many Americans, political identity has overshadowed more fundamental aspects of life. In his own words: “For the Dems, politics is upstream from everything. … You treat it like a box of junk that you take out of the closet every few years … you keep it away from the kids … you never, ever take it to work.” He knows, and calls out, that some (or many) politicians use us every day American, the hard worker, the citizen who wants to reach that American Dream, is used as nothing more than a plaything by the elites.
In fact, politicians serve the people, not the other way around. The media, too, he says, has become too left wing, and too much like an echo chamber. "The most powerful people are in the media," he has said, which probably made many elitists in the media giddy to hear. "They've controlled the megaphone for years."
Of course Gutfeld knows that all concentrations of power lead to corruption and a diminution of personal freedoms, which is why one of the citizenry’s best weapons is humor.
We must never take the elites of government, the media and the academy seriously.
Gutfeld is the one to take back that megaphone. Gutfeld’s politics are deeply rooted in a defense of individual liberty (he described himself as a conservative-turned-libertarian, so he doesn't fit the mold for establishment big wigs), a wariness of ideological power (particularly in culture and media), and a refusal to toe party lines simply for comfort.
His sharp humor, combined with philosophical conviction, offers a voice that is both challenging and refreshing in today’s polarized landscape.
Charlotte Corday wasn't wrong about everything as Gutfeld is proving daily. We need someone to shake things up and right now, Gutfeld will suffice nicely.
Historian and Reagan biographer Craig Shirley is the author of Reagan's Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All; Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America; December 1941: 31 Days That Changed America and Saved the World; Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan; Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980; Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative; Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother; April 1945: The Hinge of History, as well as many articles and essays on politics and the conservative movement.
He is the ultimate antiestablishment figure. As the old cliche goes, he speaks humor to power. In his shows, whether his late-night comedy show Gutfeld or his cohosting on Fox's The Five, he does not placate, brown-nose, or beg for praise like so many other cable television (looking at you, Megyn Kelly) hosts.
Part of the genius of Gutfeld is using humor to shape opinions. Many used op eds, blogs and speeches to get their point across but Gutfeld uses humor to make his point and get people to pay attention at the same time. Most people don’t have the power to tell off the elites as they so desperately want to do, so Gutfeld does that for them.
He answers the unrequited need of the citizenry, who want to insult and degrade the elites who are not their betters. Gutfeld champions individualism in an era dominated by identity and group politics. He argues that people should be defined by themselves, not by their race, gender, or other identities. As he stated himself, “I think it’s a terrible thing to lead with [identity]. I am all for being an individual…When you start talking about these characteristics that define you, it’s actually not defining you at all." When someone's identity is threatened by establishment-approve adjectives, they cannot defend themselves, as the "self" is by definition irrelevant to identity politics. Gutfeld recognizes that.
As what once was said, “Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.”
No wonder his show is top rated, even as a cable show beating the hell out of Seth Meyers or Jimmy Kimmel and other unfunny network shows. Let’s face it, most liberals just lack a sense of humor.
In a similar vein, he is also a critiquer of woke ideology. He calls it "wokeism" and doesn't shy away from calling it what it is: extremism. "Woke-ism is every bit as racist as white nationalism,” he said in 2023. Cancel culture, ideological intolerance, and social "justice" (more like social warfare) all are within this "woke" ideal that people cannot error and, like racism, immediately damn someone based on circumstances outside of their control. And like racism, wokeism is nothing more than glorified hatred, or a resentment with extra steps. He said so himself: "The woke offer no solutions except resentment." He knows, and has called out, that this is an ideology that offers nothing but anger. That, in itself, is against the American philosophy of individual liberty that has built this country up for three centuries.
Other men in history have also satisfied this need on the part of the citizenry to not bow down to royalty but instead bite their hand. Will Rogers and William F. Buckley. Both possessed stiletto wits which they often turned on the elites, satisfying a need in the populace to tell them to shut up. Rogers once said, “I don’t make jokes; I just watch the government and report the facts.” And Buckley once said of the passing of uber elitist Eleanor Roosevelt, “Some came to mourn her, some came to celebrate her, and some came to make sure.”
He often emphasizes that politics has become overcentralized and overvalued by one party, arguing that for many Americans, political identity has overshadowed more fundamental aspects of life. In his own words: “For the Dems, politics is upstream from everything. … You treat it like a box of junk that you take out of the closet every few years … you keep it away from the kids … you never, ever take it to work.” He knows, and calls out, that some (or many) politicians use us every day American, the hard worker, the citizen who wants to reach that American Dream, is used as nothing more than a plaything by the elites.
In fact, politicians serve the people, not the other way around. The media, too, he says, has become too left wing, and too much like an echo chamber. "The most powerful people are in the media," he has said, which probably made many elitists in the media giddy to hear. "They've controlled the megaphone for years."
Of course Gutfeld knows that all concentrations of power lead to corruption and a diminution of personal freedoms, which is why one of the citizenry’s best weapons is humor.
We must never take the elites of government, the media and the academy seriously.
Gutfeld is the one to take back that megaphone. Gutfeld’s politics are deeply rooted in a defense of individual liberty (he described himself as a conservative-turned-libertarian, so he doesn't fit the mold for establishment big wigs), a wariness of ideological power (particularly in culture and media), and a refusal to toe party lines simply for comfort.
His sharp humor, combined with philosophical conviction, offers a voice that is both challenging and refreshing in today’s polarized landscape.
Charlotte Corday wasn't wrong about everything as Gutfeld is proving daily. We need someone to shake things up and right now, Gutfeld will suffice nicely.
Historian and Reagan biographer Craig Shirley is the author of Reagan's Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All; Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America; December 1941: 31 Days That Changed America and Saved the World; Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan; Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980; Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative; Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother; April 1945: The Hinge of History, as well as many articles and essays on politics and the conservative movement.
