During a discussion with co-host Jessica Tarlov on the falsity of Florida’s new black history curriculum, Fox News anchor Greg Gutfeld mentioned a best-selling book written by a Holocaust survivor. The White House joined the criticism directed at Gutfeld.
On Monday’s episode of “The Five,” when Tarlov, the show’s liberal “token,” mentioned the Holocaust to bolster the made-up Florida fuss that slaves “benefited” from slavery, Gutfeld brought up the best-selling book by Viktor Frankl, who was imprisoned in concentration camps and had to learn survival skills to avoid being killed by the Nazis.
“Frankl talks about how you had to survive in a concentration camp by having skills. You had to be useful, remarked Gutfeld. “Utility. Utility kept you alive.
The New York Times called Frankl’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning” “An enduring work of survival literature” and CNN’s Anderson Cooper hailed it, saying, “This is a book I reread a lot… it gives me hope… it gives me a sense of strength,” However, liberals and their allies who were ready to score political points over a political rival and his company were outraged by Gutfeld’s comments.
The White House, which is fully committed to the falsehood about Florida’s curriculum, could not pass up the opportunity on Tuesday to attack the frequently critical Fox News comedian.
"What Fox News allowed to be said on their air yesterday — and has so far failed to condemn — is an obscenity," White House spokesman @AndrewJBates46 says https://t.co/Q8T4amYfYw pic.twitter.com/3RVtTZ6gzY
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 25, 2023
Deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates told CNN that “What Fox News allowed to be said on their air yesterday — and has so far failed to condemn — is an obscenity,”
“In defending a horrid, dangerous, extreme lie that insults the memory of the millions of Americans who suffered from the evil of enslavement, a Fox News host told another horrid, dangerous, and extreme lie that insults the memory of the millions of people who suffered from the evils of the Holocaust,” he insufferably went on.
“Let’s get something straight that the American people understand full well and that is not complicated: there was nothing good about slavery; there was nothing good about the Holocaust. Full stop,” Bates continued, attempting to tie the Florida false controversy into Gutfeld’s remarks about the Holocaust. “Americans deserve to be brought together, not torn apart with poison. And they deserve the truth and the freedom to learn, not book bans and lies.”
Gutfeld was attacked by the extreme front-runners of the left for uttering what appeared to any rational individual to be an entirely harmless remark. In an effort to discredit them, the notorious neoconservative Bill Kristol appeared to advocate that Gutfeld’s co-hosts on “The Five” leave Fox News.
Everyone else at Fox fine with Gutfeld suggesting Jews sent to concentration camps could survive “by being useful?” How can any of his fellow panelists show up tomorrow to sit there next to him? https://t.co/iMmBa7MPwI
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) July 24, 2023
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which frequently supports the Democratic Party, responded with greater moderation.
The group added in a statement to the Daily Beast that “It is not clear from Gutfeld’s comments if he is arguing that Jews learned skills in the Holocaust, or that Jews who had skills had a better chance of staying alive. The latter is something that is well-documented, while the former is nonsense. That said, many millions of Jews, who, in Gutfeld’s words, had ‘utility,’ were still murdered.”
The Daily Beast also claimed anonymous “Fox News staffers and insiders” who the left-leaning publication described as stating that it had been a “disgusting thing” for Gutfeld to have said that if he had done it “at any other place, his career would be over.”
Frankl’s work has “been translated into more than fifty languages and sold over sixteen million copies,” as stated by Amazon, since its 1946 release.
Gutfeld has always been a popular Fox News personality, renowned for his acerbic remarks and unapologetic conservatism. When he launched his own late-night comedy program in 2015, however, many were skeptical of its success.
According to a recent report, however, Gutfeld’s program has been generating remarkable ratings.
Given the competitive landscape of late-night television, Gutfeld’s success is particularly remarkable. He is literally competing against late-night’s two greatest names, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, and he is winning.
WATCH: @greggutfeld gets his first SuperBowl ad for @Gutfeldfox as ‘King of Late Night’ pic.twitter.com/z4nVaKNLea
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) February 8, 2023
“Gutfeld!, brought in 2.2 million total viewers on Tuesday night, beating its lead-in, The Ingraham Angle. Roseanne Barr joined Gutfeld! as a guest,” Mediaite in February of this year.
Gutfeld! was the 6th highest-rated show overall on cable news in total viewers and the 3rd highest-rated in the key 25-54 age demographic — behind Tucker Carlson and The Five — which was co-hosted by Greg Gutfeld.
His success is unquestionably attributable, in part, to his singular blend of satire and politics. This appeals to conservative viewers who feel alienated by mainstream comedy’s overwhelmingly liberal bias.
Greg Gutfeld's HILARIOUS roast of woke Disney will have you in TEARS laughing🤣 pic.twitter.com/8d7Wf1Yp4N
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 10, 2023
Gutfeld! exemplifies the strength of conservative satire and the enduring appeal of common sense values. With these ratings, it is evident that he has struck a rapport with viewers across the nation.