‘The Five’ Co-Host Takes Break After Trump Attacks Her
A familiar face on one of cable television’s most-watched programs has temporarily disappeared from the studio following a very public attack from President Donald Trump.
The timing quickly attracted attention, although the reason for her absence appears to have nothing to do with the president’s criticism or her future at the network.
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Fox News liberal commentator Jessica Tarlov stepped away from “The Five” for a tropical vacation in Hawaii shortly after Trump blasted her in a Truth Social post.
“I can’t stand Jessica Tarlov of THE FIVE,” Trump wrote. “A real loser!”
Trump’s attack followed comments from Tarlov during an episode of “The Five” in which she argued that stronger gun-control laws could potentially prevent some future mass shootings.
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Tarlov acknowledged that legislation could never completely eliminate violent people or prevent every attack.
“You will never be able to stop all of the lunatics,” Tarlov said.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Tarlov over her liberal commentary despite her position on a network populated by some of the president’s most prominent supporters in cable news.
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Tarlov serves as one of the rotating liberal voices on “The Five,” regularly putting her opposite conservative co-hosts including Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro.
That role frequently produces contentious exchanges, including recent arguments between Tarlov and Gutfeld in which the two talked over each other as their political disagreements intensified.
Trump’s latest criticism added another powerful voice to the list of conservatives who regularly take issue with Tarlov’s arguments.
But anyone wondering whether her disappearance from television immediately following Trump’s attack represented something more significant appears to have a much simpler explanation.
Tarlov, 42, traveled to Lanai, Hawaii, with her husband, hedge fund executive Brian McKenna, to attend a friend’s wedding.
She shared photographs from the trip on Instagram over the weekend showing the couple enjoying their time away from Washington’s political battles and cable-news arguments.
“Quick getaway to the most beautiful place on earth with my favorite guy,” Tarlov wrote alongside the photographs.
One image showed Tarlov wearing a green-and-white striped midi dress featuring a banana-leaf pattern as she posed alongside McKenna against a tropical backdrop.
Another showed the couple making faces at the camera, while a video included in the post captured them swimming near a waterfall.
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Tarlov and McKenna have been married since May 2021.
The vacation comes as Trump’s occasional frustrations with Fox News continue to spill into public view despite his generally close relationship with many of the network’s conservative personalities.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Fox polling he considers inaccurate or unfair and has criticized individual commentators when he believes their coverage or analysis works against him.
Tarlov’s job practically guarantees that she will occasionally find herself in that position.
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As one of the program’s liberal panelists, she is tasked with defending Democratic positions and challenging conservative arguments before an audience containing a substantial number of Trump supporters.
That has made Tarlov a frequent target of criticism from MAGA viewers who disagree with her political commentary.
Trump himself has now made his opinion unmistakably clear with his declaration that he “can’t stand” the Fox personality.
The president’s criticism and Tarlov’s subsequent absence could easily create the impression of a larger shakeup at Fox, particularly as viewers have recently noticed other prominent personalities taking time away from their programs.
But there is currently no indication that Tarlov’s trip is connected to Trump’s criticism or that she is planning to leave Fox News.
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Instead, her social media posts indicate she simply took some personal time away to attend the wedding and vacation with her husband.
That means Trump’s latest Fox News target is expected to eventually return to the same seat that has made her one of the network’s most recognizable liberal commentators, Trending Politics reported.
For the moment, however, Tarlov has traded arguments with Trump supporters and her fellow “The Five” panelists for beaches, waterfalls and a Hawaiian getaway.
Chaos at NBC: Production Staff Stage Mass Walkout Over Star Host's 'Toxic Bullying'!
NEW YORK — The famously affable persona that defined Jimmy Fallon’s late-night dominance just took a devastating hit following an explosive exposé by Rolling Stone. An array of internal communications, paper trails, and testimonies from 16 current and former staff members have peeled back the curtain on a toxic, high-pressure environment inside Studio 6B at The Tonight Show.
Behind the Megawatt Grin: The "Crying Room" of Studio 6B
To tens of millions of viewers tuning in each night, Fallon appeared to be the ultimate showman: buoyant, approachable, and quick to turn celebrity interviews into lighthearted games. But according to internal accounts, daily life for the show's production crew felt more like walking through a minefield.
Witnesses described a workplace culture held hostage by the host's unpredictable mood swings:
"Good Jimmy Days" vs. "Bad Jimmy Days": Staffers reportedly spent mornings reading the room to anticipate the host's temper. On bad days, minor production errors could trigger verbal lashings and public dressing-downs in front of colleagues.
Guest Dressing Rooms Turned "Crying Rooms": The psychological strain was so severe that empty guest dressing rooms reportedly became sanctuaries where staff retreated to cry and regain composure before heading back onto the studio floor.
Severe Mental Toll: Multiple staffers described seeking therapy, taking prescribed anti-anxiety medications, or leaving the industry altogether after months of enduring chronic emotional exhaustion.
HR Complaints and Systemic Instability
The investigative report outlined issues extending far beyond occasional bad days, pointing instead to systemic administrative neglect over nearly a decade.
Internal emails and formal complaints submitted to NBC’s Human Resources documented erratic behavior, explosive outbursts, and concerns regarding the host's workplace conduct. Yet, with Fallon serving as a ratings engine and core asset for the network, complaints were repeatedly brushed aside or quietly managed, leaving junior personnel with little choice but to transfer or resign.
The revolving door in the executive offices mirrored that chaos: The Tonight Show burned through nine showrunners in just nine years—an unprecedented turnover rate that underscored chronic instability at the top.
A Midnight Apology to the Crew
Hours after the report went live and triggered a wave of public backlash across social media, Fallon and showrunner Chris Miller convened an emergency, mandatory Zoom meeting with the production team.
During the call, Fallon offered a contrite, somber apology to his staff:
"It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends… I want this show to be fun, it should be inclusive to everybody, it should be funny, it should be the best show, the best people."
While the internal apology acknowledged the distress within the ranks, the revelation has permanently altered public perception. The revelation leaves NBC’s flagship late-night franchise grappling with a stark reality: the cost of prime-time laughter was borne by a backstage crew driven to the brink.
