Gutfeld! is basically his old show
Red Eye (a 3:00AM EST show) retuned for late-night.
In Red Eye, his format was that he and a "sidekick" would chat and joke about the day's news with relevant columnists and Fox News Channel anchors and contributors. The sidekick at the time was comedian Bill Schulz (who FYI is a direct descendent of William Dawes, who rode with Paul Revere in the "Midnight Ride" during the American Revolution).
Besides being entertaining and irreverent, the show accomplished several needed things at the time:
- It featured prominent conservative (at the time) figures like Ann Coulter and Sarah Cupp, and gave them wide exposure.
- It allowed for news stories not covered by the "mainstream" shows to be discussed under the cover of comedy.
- It humanized the Fox News Channel talent by letting them take their "anchor" face off, let their hair down, and have some fun with the news.
With
Gutfeld!, he's doing essentially the same thing. With Tyrus (George Murdoch) as his new sidekick, he's breaking several stereotypes:
- A big hulk of a guy, black, former professional football player, and now entertainment wrestler, can be informed, articulate, diverse in his thinking, quick on his feet, and funny.
- He comes from a poor Louisiana background, and became a "made man" by his own hard work, and proudly role models that behavior.
- He's a typical comedic foil for Gutfeld, sort of his Ed McMahon. The biggest difference between Gutfeld! and broadcast late-night TV is their reliance on Hollywood celebrities, while Gutfeld still brings in the FNC talent, columnists, some lesser politicians, and former administration officials. He sticks to discussing the day's news.
-PJ