On Saturday morning, Fox & Friends Weekend didn’t just cover Greg Gutfeld’s appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — they celebrated it like it might be the dawn of a new age in late-night television.

Greg Gutfeld stands smiling on the set of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," wearing a casual jacket and shirt

The segment opened with co-host Charlie Hurt calling the Thursday night conversation “two real people just sort of having a conversation” — a stark contrast, he argued, to the ideological bickering that’s dominated the format for years.

“One person who’s not falling for communism is Greg Gutfeld,” Hurt joked, hailing the Fox News host for “breaking the late-night barrier” by appearing on Fallon’s NBC stage. “It worked and it was funny because it wasn’t any of this stupid ideological nonsense that a lot of the late night shows have gotten into.”

The “Media Meltdown”

Greg Gutfeld seated, holding papers, on a talk show set with a cityscape backdrop in a casual jacket over a turtleneck sweater

Rachel Campos-Duffy followed up by accusing “the Left and the media” of expecting fireworks that never came. The show displayed headlines from The Independent, The Daily Beast, Deadline, and The Cut, all reacting to the unlikely pairing.

“It appears that the Left and the media wanted there to be some sort of battle,” Campos-Duffy said. “Like, Jimmy Fallon’s going to attack him or Greg’s going to attack Jimmy. They were so disappointed.”

Co-host Griff Jenkins agreed, claiming that this kind of lighthearted, apolitical exchange is exactly why Gutfeld holds the title of “king of late night.”

“He understands what comedy was — funny stories, engaging,” Jenkins said, noting how different the vibe felt compared to other network talk shows.

The Stephen Colbert Warning

Greg Gutfeld on The Tonight Show waves while sitting on a sofa opposite the host at a desk with a cityscape backdrop

Campos-Duffy then made a pointed comparison to Stephen Colbert, whose Late Show is slated to be canceled.

“It seems like he’s seeing what happened to Stephen Colbert,” she said of Fallon. “This moment, people are exhausted of all the in-fighting. And they’re also seeing so many successes from Donald Trump and I think people just want to let it all go.”

Her implication: Fallon, once criticized for “playing nice” with then-candidate Trump in 2016, might now be positioned to reclaim audiences weary of political brawls.

“Let’s All Just Get Along”

Jimmy Fallon in a suit seated behind a talk show desk discussing a selection of books, gesturing with one hand

For Campos-Duffy, the Gutfeld-Fallon meeting wasn’t just a friendly TV crossover — it was a signal.

“Greg Gutfeld is sort of like that perfect person, along with Jimmy, to sort of showcase that this is maybe a new era: ‘Let’s all just get along,’” she declared.

Jenkins added historical context, saying that the late-night shift toward partisan commentary began only after Donald Trump’s rise in 2016.

“Before 2016, before that very moment, the late night landscape wasn’t as political. It was when Trump came in that it changed and became hyper-liberal,” he said.

Campos-Duffy’s final remark on the topic was delivered with a hint of conspiracy: “Yep. There was a memo that went out.”

A Shift in Late-Night Culture?

Greg Gutfeld in a casual outfit and sneakers talks animatedly while seated on a talk show set, facing Jimmy Fallon behind a desk

While Gutfeld’s appearance may seem like a one-off novelty, it touches on a deeper conversation happening in the entertainment industry: Is the era of politically supercharged late night coming to an end?

For nearly a decade, hosts like Colbert, Seth Meyers, and Trevor Noah have leaned heavily into political monologues, often skewering conservative figures — especially Trump. While this built loyal followings, it also alienated a chunk of the audience.

Fallon famously tried to keep his show less political, but that approach backfired in the post-2016 climate, where neutrality was often seen as complacency. Critics slammed his “soft” Trump interview in 2016, and ratings suffered as other hosts became more strident.

Now, with Colbert’s cancellation and Gutfeld’s Fox News success — dominating ratings in his time slot — the pendulum may be swinging back toward variety-show style humor and less partisan content.

The Symbolism of Fallon + Gutfeld

Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert pose with their backs against each other on a red carpet

Pairing Fallon with Gutfeld sent a specific message: the two can share laughs without ideological grenades being thrown.

For Fox News, this is proof that Gutfeld’s appeal extends beyond conservative audiences. For Fallon, it’s a reminder that he can welcome controversial figures without the same backlash that once plagued him — perhaps because viewers themselves are ready to move on.

“People are tired,” Campos-Duffy emphasized. “They want the laughs without the lecture.”

Skeptics Remain

Jimmy Fallon in a formal suit flashes a peace sign at an event, with floral decorations in the background

Of course, not everyone is convinced this marks a cultural turning point. Some see the segment as Fox News seizing on a moment to frame Gutfeld as a unifying figure, despite his own reputation for sharp-edged, partisan humor. Others doubt that late-night producers will abandon politics entirely, especially in a presidential election cycle.

Still, the ratings and public reaction to Gutfeld’s Fallon appearance could influence how networks approach their formats in 2025 and beyond.

The Road Ahead

If this is indeed the “new era” Campos-Duffy predicts, we may see more cross-network appearances and fewer ideological purity tests for talk show guests.

Whether this will actually happen remains uncertain — but for one Thursday night, Greg Gutfeld and Jimmy Fallon gave late-night viewers something they hadn’t seen in a long time: two high-profile TV hosts from opposite media worlds, simply having fun.