FOX News Ousts Geraldo Rivera from The Five Amid Fiery Clashes with Co-Hosts Jesse Watters & Greg Gutfeld

In a stunning shake-up, FOX News has removed veteran journalist Geraldo Rivera from The Five after a series of heated on-air clashes with co-hosts Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld. The bombshell move comes after Rivera, a fixture at the network since 2001, found himself increasingly at odds with his more conservative counterparts.

Rivera, 79, confirmed the news on Twitter Wednesday morning, stating:

“It’s official, I’m off The Five. My last scheduled appearances are Thursday and Friday, June 29th and 30th. It’s been a great run, and I appreciate having had the opportunity. Being the odd man out isn’t always easy.”

Despite his departure from The Five, Rivera will remain with FOX News as a Correspondent at Large.

Geraldo Rivera announced Wednesday morning he has been booted from The Five

Internal Feud Escalates

Rivera, who served as one of the rotating ‘liberal’ voices on the panel since January 2022, often clashed with his right-leaning co-hosts, including Judge Jeanine Pirro, Dana Perino, Jesse Watters, and Greg Gutfeld. However, tensions with Gutfeld in particular had reached a boiling point in recent months.

In early May, Rivera hinted at trouble behind the scenes when he tweeted:

“My appearances today and tomorrow on The Five have been canceled. I’m sure there’s a good reason. Never fear, I’ll be back week after next.”

But Rivera never returned. His last appearance on the show was on April 21—the same day FOX News unceremoniously axed top host Tucker Carlson.

He tweeted that his last show appearance will be on June 30, but he remains a correspondent at large

War of Words with Greg Gutfeld

Rivera had long been a vocal critic of Carlson’s controversial takes on the January 6 Capitol riot, calling them “bulls***.” Days after Carlson’s firing, he tweeted:

“I don’t wish ill on anybody, but Tucker Carlson’s perverse January 6 conspiracy theory was bulls**. Having lost the election, President Trump incited an insurrection that sought to undermine our Constitutional process.”*

Greg Gutfeld, a staunch defender of Carlson, fired back with a sarcastic tweet:

“You’re a class act, Geraldo. A real man of the people.”

Sources inside FOX News suggest that Gutfeld may have played a role in Rivera’s removal.

Rivera has not appeared on The Five since April 21, the same day as Carlson's last broadcast

Explosive On-Air Clashes

Rivera and Gutfeld’s animosity wasn’t just confined to social media. The two had engaged in multiple heated exchanges on-air.

During a debate on electric vehicles, Rivera snapped at Gutfeld:

“Stop pointing at me!”

In another fiery moment, he called Gutfeld an “insulting punk” during a debate on abortion rights. Rivera also took an unpopular stance on Israel, drawing backlash from his colleagues.

He had gotten into an on-air shouting match with co-host Greg Gutfeld in April

From Trump Ally to Trump Critic

Rivera, who once supported Donald Trump, dramatically distanced himself from the former president after the January 6 riot. In December 2020, he had praised Trump for surviving “leftist creeps” trying to undermine his presidency. But after the insurrection, he denounced Trump’s actions, further alienating himself from FOX’s right-wing audience.

A Storied Career at FOX Comes to an End

Despite his ouster from The Five, Rivera remains a key figure at FOX News, where he has worked for over two decades. His career spans from war reporting to hosting his own talk show Geraldo, as well as the infamous Al Capone’s Vault special.

In 2021, Rivera signed a multi-year deal with FOX, securing his role as a Correspondent at Large and host of Cops: All Access on FOX Nation. However, with his growing rift with the network’s conservative hosts, his long-term future at FOX remains uncertain.

With his departure from The Five, one thing is clear: FOX News’ primetime battlefield just lost one of its most fiery warriors.