Fox powerhouse ‘The Five’ gets new permanent member, leaves vacancy in different chair

BS BULLETIN:

Emily Compagno is officially joining “The Five” as a permanent co-host beginning Sept. 8.
She’ll join Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino and Jesse Watters, with Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr. rotating in the liberal seat.
Compagno is leaving “Outnumbered,” where Fox will temporarily use rotating hosts.

Emily Compagno has spent plenty of time sitting around the table on “The Five.”

Now Fox News is putting her name on the chair.

The network announced that Compagno will officially become a full-time co-host of its ratings juggernaut beginning September 8, joining Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino and Jesse Watters, while Harold Ford Jr. and Jessica Tarlov continue rotating through the show’s liberal seat.

“I couldn’t be more honored to join ‘The Five,’ a team I have long admired and have been fortunate to work alongside over the years,” Compagno said in announcing the move.

And she made pretty clear this isn’t just another television assignment for her.

“Having an official seat at the table on what I truly believe is the most fun show on television is an incredible privilege,” Compagno said. “I am grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to get started.”

There’s a reason getting that particular chair qualifies as a promotion.

“The Five” isn’t merely Fox News’s biggest show. It’s currently the most-watched program in cable news.

During the second quarter of 2026, the 5 p.m. panel show averaged 3.6 million viewers, including 322,000 in the coveted 25-to-54 demographic. Fox says it marked the show’s 19th consecutive quarter as cable news’s highest-rated program.

Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott called the program “a powerhouse and appointment viewing for millions of Americans” and described Compagno as “a highly accomplished host whose energy and talent have made her a standout across FOX News Media.”

“We are thrilled to officially welcome her to the show,” Scott said.

The move also answers a question that’s been hanging over “The Five.”

Compagno takes the permanent spot left open after Jeanine Pirro departed Fox News last year when President Trump appointed her U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

Compagno was an obvious candidate. She’s been a frequent presence on “The Five” and joined Fox News as a contributor in 2018 before becoming a co-host of “Outnumbered” in 2021. But the promotion creates another little game of Fox News musical chairs.

Compagno will give up her permanent spot on “Outnumbered,” and Fox says a rotating collection of personalities will occupy the seat until the network chooses her permanent replacement.

So let the speculation begin.

Compagno’s path to one of cable television’s biggest shows is also a little more unusual than your standard television résumé.

Before Fox, she practiced criminal defense and civil litigation, worked as a federal managing attorney and acting director at the Social Security Administration and served as a judicial extern for Judge John T. Noonan on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Oh—and she was captain of the Oakland Raiders cheerleading squad and was selected as an NFL ambassador overseas.

Because apparently one résumé wasn’t enough.

“The Five” itself celebrated its 15th anniversary in July. What began in 2011 has turned into one of Fox’s most valuable franchises and a launching pad for several of its biggest personalities.

Gutfeld and Watters both parlayed their seats into their own highly rated primetime programs, while Perino also co-anchors “America’s Newsroom.”

Now Compagno gets the permanent chair. And “Outnumbered” gets a vacancy.

Congratulations, Emily. And let the Outnumbered sweepstakes begin.

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