Less than two weeks in, Fox News’ only comedy show got booted off by the news.
Conservative comedian Greg Gutfeld’s late-night show, Gutfeld!, premiered just last Tuesday, but exactly a week later it was unceremoniously pushed off by coverage of the continuing Daunte Wright protests.
“This isFox News @ Night’s breaking coverage of the third night of unrest in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota,” news anchor Shannon Bream suddenly announced at 11pm, when Gutfeld’s show was supposed to start. “Gutfeld! will be back tomorrow.”
Observers on Twitter quickly mocked the change of programming.
“Only half a Scaramucci after its debut, Gutfeld! is abruptly preempted,” tweeted Vox reporter Aaron Rupar. He was referring to Anthony Scaramucci, the Trump communications director who famously lasted less than two weeks on the job.
“Okay for once Gutfeld! made me laugh,” commented podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen.
Gutfeld! debuted on 6 April, in the same time slot as late-night comedy shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The show did surprisingly well in its first week of ratings, surpassing Fallon’s programme and roughly tying with Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Critically, however, Gutfeld! has not been as well received. Other comedy writers brutally panned the attempt at conservative comedy.
“Greg Gutfeld is protesting ‘cancel culture’ by making a show so awful he’ll get canceled the old-fashioned way,” formerColbert Report writer Frank Lesser tweeted.
“He reminds me of the boss whose jokes you’re forced to laugh at,” formerDaily Show producer Jena Friedman told The Daily Beast.
Another critic, Anthony Atamanuik ofThe President Show, called one of Gutfeld’s segments “a confused ramble containing five-year-old reference jokes woven into a toothless meandering ‘stand’ against social media and corporations that concluded with an impotent humorless sputter of self-importance.”
On Tuesday, Gutfeld continued to promote his planned episode up to 20 minutes before it was supposed to air.
“Host of "Nuff Said" on @foxnation, @PlanetTyrus returns tonight!” Gutfeld tweeted at 10.40pm.
AlthoughFox News said the show would be back on Wednesday, some wondered if it had been cancelled for one night or forever.
“Pretty weird to randomly preempt a new show in its second week,” Mr Rupar tweeted. “I wonder if Gutfeld will indeed be back tomorrow.”
Gutfeld! has not yet responded to The Independent’s request for comment.
