With pen in hand, she’ll gesticulate in the air, making sure she has the space to get her rebuttals across while the show’s more irreverent co-hosts Gutfeld and Watters try to distract her with a smart-ass comment. As a former pollster and currently vice president of research and consumer insights at the Bustle Digital Group, she confidently packs data and facts into every response. She listens while jotting down notes on a legal pad to prepare her response. When an issue is discussed on “The Five,” the other co-hosts typically weigh in first before Tarlov gets her turn. “It got in everyone’s ear, ‘Let her say whatever she has to say,’” Tarlov said. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion, “The Five” producers made sure the pro-choice Tarlov was given a forum. On the day the Supreme Court issued its decision that overturned Roe vs. I want more possibilities, more opportunities for the next generation, and I’m sure of the fact that Democrats are the ones that offer that.” “But motherhood and parenting has put a new column on the board that has made me see the world completely differently and definitely has not made me more conservative in that view whatsoever. “I can’t be anything else but a tall Jewish girl from Tribeca,” she said. She said she has never been told by Fox News executives what to say on the air. It’s four-on-one, but showing up matters,”Ī big fan of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Tarlov believes her views represent the mainstream of the Democratic Party. It is my job and figuring out a way to do it that will be listened to, palatable and maybe even persuasive. “It’s hard to tell people things they don’t want to hear. “They’re not spending their time finding it elsewhere,” Tarlov said. Her answer is she feels a responsibility to give Fox viewers what may be their only exposure to what’s going on in Democratic politics that isn’t through a conservative lens. Still, Tarlov’s like-minded friends and colleagues ask her why Fox News is her TV home - a network being sued for defamation by two voting software and equipment companies over its reporting on former President Trump’s bogus voter fraud claims. “We have a larger audience of Democratic viewers than I think anyone would expect,” said Megan Albano, executive producer of “The Five.” The show also ranks first in cable news among viewers who describe their political affiliation as independent. The network points to Nielsen data that says about 20% of “The Five” audience identifies as Democratic. It raises the question of whether Tarlov’s efforts to present an alternative position on the network can really cut through. “The Five” is far from being a balanced forum, as 80% of the opinions presented are in line with the conservative tenets heard on the network throughout the day. Many Fox News fans are similarly hardened in their positions as they get a steady diet of segments blasting the Democrats’ environmental policy, President Biden’s handling of border crossings and inflation, Hunter Biden’s transgressions, rising crime rates and education curricula seen as too woke. “It’s very hard for people to get me to change my mind,” Hannity said. “You’re dealing with someone who is going to come in with solid arguments on their side and I love that about her.”Įven though he welcomed Tarlov as a guest and touted her to other producers within the network, Hannity can’t recall a time when she altered his opinion on an issue. “She brought a lot to the show,” Hannity said. Tarlov eventually landed a regular segment on Sean Hannity’s prime time program and the host became a fan. “She’s always gracious but she’s also assertive,” he said. Schoen encouraged Fox News executives to book Tarlov, believing she would be a good fit as a liberal voice on the network. After returning to the U.S., Tarlov was hired by political pollster Doug Schoen, who was a longtime Fox News contributor presenting Democratic viewpoints. A graduate of Bryn Mawr, Tarlov attended the London School of Economics where she earned a PhD in political science.

Kennedy commentator