Jessica Tarlov has one of the most difficult jobs at Fox News: she’s the dissenting liberal voice on the network’s popular afternoon show The Five.
In an interview with USA Today, Tarlov admitted that while she may take grief from social media users, she knows she has a role to play and has to straddle a fine line.
“There are a lot of people, and they’re especially loud on…X, who are not fans of mine,” Tarlov said. “But you don’t want to come off as shrill, like every single thing a conservative says you automatically have the opposite opinion of.”
She continued by noting that while there have been some strong arguments with other panelists on the show, she never takes comments to heart.
“Overall, it’s been an incredibly positive experience for me,” Tarlov added. “I have a pretty thick skin. I can’t actually remember a time I was genuinely offended or upset by something that went on during the show. And I think that even though some viewers might not necessarily see it that way, I don’t actually find the interactions to be disrespectful.”
The 40-year-old commentator added that she feels like she could “go on forever” in the role.
The Five has become a ratings juggernaut for Fox News in the early afternoon window. The show — often helmed by Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Jeanine Pirro, Tarlov, and Dana Perino — has at times finished as the most-watched program on cable news.
