Fox News’ late-night disruptor Greg Gutfeld has never been shy about taking aim at the competition — and this week, he’s going after them with surgical precision.

Just weeks after CBS pulled the plug on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, Gutfeld delivered a mix of praise and provocation: lauding Jimmy Fallon for inviting him on The Tonight Show while simultaneously skewering other late-night personalities, including Colbert himself.

From Compliment to Cutting Remark

On his Fox program, Gutfeld set the tone early. “While Colbert interviews a loser, Jimmy Fallon invites a winner,” he declared, in a not-so-subtle jab at Colbert’s recent sit-down with Kamala Harris.

In that interview, the former vice president dodged a pointed question about Joe Biden’s disastrous election debate — a moment Gutfeld clearly saw as emblematic of Colbert’s political leanings.

“Yes, I’ll be appearing on The Tonight Show next Thursday,” Gutfeld added, his grin hinting that the cross-network appearance was about more than just a promo stop.

Praising Fallon — and Poking the Rest

Gutfeld’s praise for Fallon was effusive — but also strategic. “Fallon seems like a great, genuine guy who wants to make people laugh instead of putting them to bed angrier than The View at a salad bar,” he quipped, taking a swipe at both daytime talk show politics and late-night’s more partisan hosts.

Then came the sharper edge: “And unlike the other guys, Jimmy sitting with me proves he’s not afraid of upsetting his peers or afraid of my mesmerizing charm.”

For emphasis, Gutfeld revisited Fallon’s infamous 2016 interview with Donald Trump — the one where Fallon tousled Trump’s hair and was pilloried by critics for “humanizing” a controversial candidate in the midst of his first presidential campaign.

The 2016 Lesson — and Liberal ‘Hive Mind’

“Remember, he was destroyed for humanizing Trump by messing up his hair,” Gutfeld recalled. “The angry mob wanted a brutal takedown, but Jimmy did something different. He had fun, which is criminal to the liberal hive mind.”

The Fox host went further, framing the backlash as part of a media-wide intimidation tactic. “Fallon was eviscerated, an example of the media teaching everyone a lesson that ‘if you dare humanize Hitler, we’ll dehumanize you.’”

It was a charged comparison — and one that drew a sharp line between Gutfeld’s worldview and what he sees as the rigid orthodoxy of traditional late-night TV.

‘It’s a Different Time Now’

Despite the barbs, Gutfeld suggested the late-night landscape might be shifting. “Maybe we can have fun with each other, even if politically we’re different,” he concluded.

The timing of his remarks is no accident: Fallon’s invitation comes as other late-night hosts have been closing ranks to defend Stephen Colbert after his abrupt ouster from CBS.

The Colbert Fallout

Rumors about Colbert’s firing have swirled for weeks, with some industry insiders pointing to a segment he aired just three days before CBS announced his cancellation.

In that segment, Colbert openly criticized Paramount — CBS’s parent company — for a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump. The former president had sued over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris in the run-up to the 2024 election, alleging it was misleading.

Colbert didn’t mince words. “I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles: it’s ‘big, fat bribe,’” he said, drawing laughter from his studio audience but, reportedly, ire from network executives.

Closing Ranks

In the days after Colbert’s exit, multiple late-night hosts — including those at ABC and NBC — offered public support for their CBS counterpart, framing the cancellation as a blow to creative freedom in political comedy.

For Gutfeld, however, the situation appears to be fertile ground for both critique and contrast: positioning himself as an outsider, willing to appear on rival networks without fear, while painting others as beholden to ideological conformity.

An Unlikely Alliance

His alliance with Fallon is, on the surface, surprising. Fallon has previously voiced support for Colbert and is often seen as the least politically aggressive of the major late-night figures. Yet in Gutfeld’s telling, that’s precisely what makes Fallon stand out.

By sharing a stage with Fox’s resident provocateur, Fallon signals — at least in Gutfeld’s framing — a willingness to break with the solidarity shown by other hosts.

Shifting Late-Night Politics

Whether this upcoming Tonight Show appearance will be a lighthearted exchange or a political powder keg remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: in a media landscape where every booking is scrutinized for its ideological implications, Fallon and Gutfeld are about to deliver one of the most talked-about late-night moments of the year.

And for Greg Gutfeld, that’s the sweet spot — controversy, ratings, and a chance to remind his critics that he’s not just playing the game, he’s changing it.