Emily Compagno is trading her seat on Outnumbered for one of the most coveted chairs in cable news, joining The Five as Fox News‘s newest co-host.
The move places Compagno inside the network’s highest-rated program, where the show averaged 3.3 million viewers each weekday afternoon at 5 PM ET this past August. It also closes a chapter that spanned nearly six years, marking one of the more significant on-air changes at Fox News this year.
“It is nothing short of my utmost honor and an incredible privilege to be tapped with this — in my view, such a huge responsibility to help carry the torch of what is the number one rated show at Fox, and to feel trusted to share my opinion and my thoughts with our viewers, whose faith I value so deeply,” Compagno said. “I feel humbled and privileged and honored to share the table with my co-hosts, and to hopefully bring to the conversation a dependable, insightful viewpoint that educates, hopefully inspires, and entertains people through the lens of my varied experience.”
Stepping into the top-rated show in the genre comes with pressure, though Compagno doesn’t seem rattled by it. Instead, she’s framing the jump as fuel rather than fear, crediting her faith and her Fox colleagues for steadying her ahead of the transition. Additionally, she pointed to the timing of the move as something bigger than a simple scheduling shift.
A Calling, Not Just a Career Move
For Compagno, the timing of this promotion carries a spiritual weight that goes beyond typical career milestones. She often frames her career path through faith, and this move is no exception.
“I’m a person of faith, so God’s timing is always perfect,” Compagno said. “I think the answer resides in the sheer fact that it’s happening now. But I think that’s the answer.”
That same sense of purpose extends to how she views the relationship between her old show and her new one. Rather than treating the two as competitors for her time, she sees them as different branches of one extended family.
“I consider both of these shows to be families,” the newest co-host of The Five shared. “The noon show is like your lunch table family, and the 5 o’clock show is your happy hour or your dinner table family. I think, by virtue of them being at different times of day — including Outnumbered at 9 AM on the West Coast, where I’m from — they naturally have different tones or topics that might be more appropriate for that time of day. But of course, the congeniality and the love and the banter and the joy is present in both shows.”
Compagno’s connection to The Five actually predates her time on Outnumbered by several years. Her first appearance on the show came back in 2018, and she still remembers the exact date.
“The first time that I was on the show, the team pulled it up — I didn’t know this date off the top of my head, but it was July 30th of 2018, and I do remember everything about that day, just about,” Compagno said. “I have the sweetest photo that I’d sort of forgotten about — my family was on a family vacation, and with this opportunity to be on The Five, I joined them on their vacation a couple days into it. It’s just particularly special to me because my mom is no longer with us, so it’s a precious memory that my family was so supportive and enthusiastic about from the first minute.”
That family framing carries over into how Compagno talks about her broader path to television. Before she ever sat behind a news desk, she built a career as a practicing attorney, a background she credits for shaping the voice she now brings to air.
“I saw that there were some attorneys out there who were practicing law and participating in these high-profile cases while also going on television to help educate the public about the inner workings of it all,” Compagno said. “I noticed that and identified it as something I would love to do. My goal was never to be on TV or to be a host — my goal was to inspire, educate, and entertain through the lens of my experience.”
Leaving the Outnumbered Family Behind
Nearly six years on one show naturally creates bonds that don’t disappear with a schedule change. As excited as Compagno is for what’s next, she’s also candid about what she’s leaving behind.
“Of course, it’s bittersweet,” Compagno said. “It’s almost like going off to college or something, where I’m excited for the next chapter, but I’m so sad to leave. I’ll miss my sisters on that show, but I know that they are cheering me on, and I have their full support and excitement, so that makes it only positive.”
Throughout the conversation, Compagno kept circling back to gratitude, both for her Outnumbered colleagues and for the network that gave her a platform in the first place. She made a point of crediting Fox News leadership directly for the opportunity now in front of her.
“I would not be here, and I share this success, this next chapter, with the rest of Fox News,” said Compagno. “Being a part of the Fox family is a dream come true, and it’s what I treasure all day, every day. Whatever I am today, and however I’ve grown, it’s because of their imprint and support.”
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