Greg Gutfeld
Greg Gutfeld | |
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![]() Greg Gutfeld in 2014 | |
Born |
Gregory John Gutfeld September 12, 1964 San Mateo, California, United States |
Residence | New York City, New York, United States |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
Occupation | Television personality |
Known for |
Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld The Five The Greg Gutfeld Show |
Political party | Libertarian |
Spouse(s) | Elena Moussa (2004–present) |
Gregory John "Greg" Gutfeld (born September 12, 1964) is an American television personality, author, magazine editor, and blogger. Since May 2015, he has hosted The Greg Gutfeld Show on the Fox News Channel. Gutfeld was the host of Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld on the Fox News Channel from 2007 to 2015. Since 2011, he is one of five co-hosts/panelists on Fox News' political talk show The Five. Gutfeld is a self-described libertarian and is non-religious.[1][2] Gutfeld's co-hosts on The Five have referred to him as "the Rod Serling of political and social commentary."[3]
Early life
Gutfeld was born in San Mateo, California, the son of Jacqueline Bernice "Jackie" (née Cauhape) and Alfred Jack Gutfeld.[4] He attended Junípero Serra High School[5] and the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1987 with a B.A. in English.[6][7]
In a 2009 interview, Gutfeld explained that he started to experience a change in his political thinking while he was attending UC Berkeley:[8]
I became a conservative by being around liberals (at UC Berkeley) and I became a libertarian by being around conservatives. You realize that there's something distinctly in common between the two groups, the left and the right; the worst part of each of them is the moralizing.
Career
After college he had an internship at The American Spectator, as an assistant to conservative writer R. Emmett Tyrrell. He then worked as a staff writer at Prevention magazine and in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, as an editor at various Rodale Press magazines. In 1995 he became a staff writer at Men's Health. He was promoted to editor in chief of Men's Health in 1999. A year later, he was replaced by David Zinczenko. Gutfeld then became editor in chief of Stuff, increasing circulation from 750,000 to 1.2 million during his tenure. In 2003 he hired several dwarfs to attend a conference of the "Magazine Publishers of America" on the topic of "buzz", with instructions to be as loud and annoying as possible. The stunt generated publicity but led to Gutfeld's being fired soon afterward; he was then made head of "brain development" at Dennis Publishing.[7]
He edited Maxim magazine in the UK from 2004 to 2006.[7] Gutfeld's contract expired without renewal after losses in readership under his tenure.[9]
Gutfeld was one of the first posting contributors to The Huffington Post from its launch in 2005 until October 2008; frequent targets of his sarcasm included his colleagues Deepak Chopra, Cenk Uygur, Arianna Huffington, and Huffington Post bloggers. Many of his Huffington Post commentaries/blogs are available on its website.[10] Gutfeld has his own blog site, The Daily Gut.
Beginning on February 5, 2007, Gutfeld hosted the hour-long Fox News Channel late-night program, Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. From 2007 to 2013, Bill Schulz served as Gutfeld's "sidekick" and Andy Levy as the show's ombudsman. Schulz was Gutfeld's colleague at Stuff magazine and Levy was a fellow blogger at The Huffington Post. On July 11, 2011, Gutfeld became a co-host/panelist on the Fox News political opinion discussion program The Five. The program airs weekdays at 5 p.m. ET.[11] Gutfeld left Red Eye in February 2015, to host a new weekend show on Fox News.[12] He was replaced on Red Eye by Tom Shillue. In May 2015, it was announced that Gutfeld would be getting his own late-night show called The Greg Gutfeld Show, which debuted on May 31, at 10 p.m. ET.
Controversial remarks
Apology to Canadians
In a five-minute segment broadcast on Tuesday, March 17, 2009, Gutfeld and his panel discussed Canadian Lieutenant General Andrew Leslie's statement that the Canadian Armed Forces may require a one-year "synchronized break" once Canada's mission in Afghanistan ends in 2011.[13] "Meaning, the Canadian military wants to take a breather to do some yoga, paint landscapes, run on the beach in gorgeous white Capri pants," Gutfeld said.[13] "I didn't even know they were in the war", comedian panelist Doug Benson added, then continued, "I thought that's where you go if you don't want to fight. Go chill in Canada."[13] Gutfeld also said: "Isn't this the perfect time to invade this ridiculous country? They have no army!"[13]
The segment drew wide attention and outrage in Canada after being posted on YouTube following the reported deaths of four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan three days earlier.[14][15][16] Canada, at the time, had been in command of the NATO mission in the Kandahar Province, the birthplace and former capital of the Taliban, for the past three years.[17] Along with the Helmand Province, the two provinces were "home to some of the fiercest opposition to coalition forces" and reported to "have the highest casualty rates per province."[18]
Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay called on Fox to apologize for the satirical comments, describing the remarks as "despicable, hurtful and ignorant."[19] Gutfeld in response maintained the show is satirical and irreverent[20] but offered the following apology: "The March 17 episode of Red Eye included a segment discussing Canada's plan for a 'synchronized break,' which was in no way an attempt to make light of troop efforts. However, I realize that my words may have been misunderstood. It was not my intent to disrespect the brave men, women and families of the Canadian military, and for that I apologize."[19]
Ground Zero mosque
On August 9, 2010, Gutfeld stated that he planned on constructing New York City's first Islamic-friendly gay bar next to the Park51 Islamic community center, known at the time as Cordoba House and often referred to as the "Ground Zero mosque" in the media.[21][22][23][24][25] As stated in his Greg-alogue, which was featured on Red Eye: "As an American, I believe they have every right to build the mosque—after all, if they buy the land and they follow the law—who can stop them? Which is why, in the spirit of outreach, I've decided to do the same thing. I'm announcing tonight that I am planning to build and open the first gay bar that caters not only to the west, but also to Islamic gay men. I hope the mosque owners will be as open to the bar, as I am to the new mosque. After all, the belief driving them to open their Islamic center near Ground Zero is no different than mine...tolerance and understanding." Gutfeld later messaged the Park51 developers of the mosque, seeking a response to his idea. The Park51 group "tweeted" back, "You’re free to open whatever you like. If you won’t consider the sensibilities of Muslims, you’re not going to build dialog."[26] After that Park51 tweet, Gutfeld announced he wanted to build his establishment and name it Dialogue. Other names for the proposed gay bar were sent in to the Red Eye host (via Twitter and the Internet) by fans, such as: al Gayda, Grind Zero, The Holey Land, You Mecca Me Hot, and Jihard. Gutfeld has stated he supports the constitutional right of anyone to build a mosque on that site; however, some feel the question of sensitivity toward New Yorkers and Americans who were the targets and victims on 9-11 should be addressed first.[26]
Personal life
As of 2012, Gutfeld resides in New York City with his wife, Elena Moussa, whom he met in London, where he lived for three years.[8][27] Gutfeld was raised Catholic and once was an altar boy.[28]
Books
![](../I/m/Greg-Gutfeld-3140.jpg)
(March 2014)
- The Scorecard: The Official Point System for Keeping Score in the Relationship Game. Henry Holt and Company. 1997. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-8050-5450-7.
- The Scorecard at Work: The Official Point System for Keeping Score on the Job. Henry Holt and Company. 1999. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-8050-5865-9.
- Lessons from the Land of Pork Scratchings. Simon & Schuster. 2008. p. 224. ISBN 978-1-84737-066-2.
- The Bible of Unspeakable Truths. Grand Central Publishing. 2010. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-446-55230-1.
- The Joy of Hate: How to Triumph over Whiners in the Age of Phony Outrage. New York: Crown Forum. 2012. p. 256. ISBN 978-0307986962.
- Not Cool: The Hipster Elite and Their War on You. New York: Crown Forum. 2014. p. 272. ISBN 978-0804138536.
- How To Be Right: The Art of Being Persuasively Correct. New York: Crown Forum. 2015. ISBN 978-1101903629.
References
- ↑ Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. March 7, 2013. Fox News.
- ↑ "'Non-religious' Fox anchor makes an interesting admission about the church". March 21, 2014.
- ↑ The Five. March 27, 2013. Fox News Channel.
- ↑ "Jacqueline "Jackie" Gutfeld Obituary – San Mateo, California". Sneider & Sullivan & O'Connell's Funeral Home at Tributes.com. Retrieved 2015-03-06.
- ↑ Bluey, Robert B. (June 16, 2006). "Q&A With Greg Gutfeld: The Cool Conservative". Human Events.com. Eagle Publishing Inc. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
- ↑ "On Air Personalities: Greg Gutfeld". Fox News Channel. 1 Mar 2012.
- 1 2 3 Gurley, George (May 22, 2007). "Red Eye for the Straight Guy". The New York Observer. Observer Media Group. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
- 1 2 Mangu-Ward, Katherine (October 2009). "'What You're Left With Is Libertarianism'". Reason. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ↑ Farey-Jones, Daniel (March 10, 2006). "Gutfeld leaves Maxim after circulation dropped 16.2%". Brand Republic.
- ↑ "Greg Gutfeld". The Huffington Post.
- ↑ "The Five". Fox News.
- ↑ Steinberg, Brian (26 February 2015). "Fox News Channel Developing Weekend Program for Greg Gutfeld". Variety. Retrieved 2015-03-06.
- 1 2 3 4 "Fox host lampoons Canadian military's synchronized break during wartime". CBC News. March 23, 2009. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
- ↑ "Fox News mocks Canadian military – Canada". Cnews.canoe.ca. March 22, 2009. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
- ↑ Kathleen Harris, National Bureau Chief (March 22, 2009). "U.S. talk show ridicules Canadian soldiers | News". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
- ↑ "Fox News host apologizes for mocking Canadian military_English_Xinhua". News.xinhuanet.com. March 24, 2009. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
- ↑ Susan Sachs (July 7, 2011). "Canada transfers command in Kandahar to U.S.". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- ↑ Manav Tanneeru and Lindsey Knight (October 3, 2011). "The Afghan war 10 years later: A look at the numbers". CNN. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- 1 2 "Fox host apologizes for mocking of Canadian Forces". CBC News. March 23, 2009. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
- ↑ Greg Gutfeld (February 8, 2010). "Many quotes of Gutfeld, Schulz and Levy harshly lampooning each other during three years of "Red Eye"". Fox News Channel. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
- ↑ "Fox Newser: I'm Opening Gay Bar Next To Mosque". August 10, 2010.
- ↑ Jordan Carr (2010-08-10). "Fox News Host Proposes Muslim Gay Bar Next to Ground Zero Mosque". Aolnews.com. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
- ↑ "'glenn Beck': Greg Gutfeld Wants To Build Gay Bar Next To 'ground Zero' Mosque". August 11, 2010.
- ↑ Gutfeld, Greg (August 19, 2010). "Left's Tired Response To Ground Zero Mosque".
- ↑ Fermino, Jennifer (August 11, 2010). "Erecting a gay bar next door to Park51". New York Post.
- 1 2 "Greg Gutfeld Wants to Build Gay Bar Next to 'Ground Zero' Mosque". Glenn Beck. Fox News. August 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Red Eye 8-15-2011". Fox News Radio. August 15, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ↑ Greg Gutfeld: The Bible of Unspeakable Truths. Hachette Book Group, May 25, 2010.
Sources
- Robertson, Campbell (April 10, 2007). "At 2 A.M., Dark Humor Meets the Lights". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
- Whitehouse, David (June 16, 2007). "News crash!". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
External links
- Greg Gutfeld archives at The Huffington Post
- Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld at Fox News Channel
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Greg Gutfeld on Twitter
- The Daily Gut