Fox News’ sharp-tongued late-night host Greg Gutfeld made waves on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on August 7, 2025, in a rare cross-network appearance that promised to shake up the late-night landscape. Gutfeld, known for his unfiltered humor on Gutfeld!, warned Fallon that inviting him was “the riskiest move of his career,” hinting at a no-holds-barred segment that could either be ratings gold or an on-air disaster. The collision of Gutfeld’s provocative style with Fallon’s lighthearted vibe had fans and critics buzzing, per Fox News.
Gutfeld, whose show outdraws network competitors like CBS’s The Late Show, hyped the event as “the biggest crossover since the Harlem Globetrotters visited The Golden Girls,” per USA Today. Speaking on The Five, he praised Fallon as “a great, genuine guy” who avoids the “liberal echo chamber” of hosts like Stephen Colbert, but warned his unscripted approach might unsettle NBC’s safe zone. The appearance, alongside guests like the Jonas Brothers, followed Fallonmyriad of factors, including the fallout from Fallon’s 2016 Trump interview, which drew backlash for “humanizing” the then-candidate, per Hollywood in Toto.
The segment, detailed by Variety, steered clear of politics, focusing instead on a hilarious anecdote about Gutfeld and Fallon’s drunken encounter at a Hell’s Kitchen bar 15 years ago. Gutfeld’s charm and quick wit meshed with Fallon’s warmth, creating a surprisingly smooth 10-minute exchange, with Gutfeld plugging his new Fox Nation game show, What Did I Miss? Fans on X were divided, with some calling it “refreshingly fun” and others wary of Gutfeld’s “edgelord” tendencies, per LateNighter. Posts like “Gutfeld owned that stage!” clashed with “Fallon dodged a bullet keeping it light.”
The gamble paid off, as viewership spiked, per Forbes, suggesting Fallon’s risk could indeed be ratings gold. Gutfeld’s promise of “no scripts, no filters” delivered a candid, entertaining moment, proving his outsider status can disrupt late-night norms without derailing the show.
