Jessica Tarlov of 'The Five' Is MIA and Viewers Want Answers
Jessica Tarlov is a regular alternate co-host of 'The Five,' but you might not see her on the show for a while. Here's why.
Published May 9 2024, 10:53 a.m. ET
As a highly controversial broadcasting comfortable, Fox News has never been shy about giving conservatives a large platform to talk about whatever comes to their minds. To that end, they've got what can be charitably described as their own version of The View called The Five. Having started back in 2011, this conservative talk show sees a "roundtable ensemble" of five interchangeable co-hosts as they engage in discussions and debates over hot topics in politics, pop culture, and more.
Over the years, the show has become a ratings success for the network. By 2022, it became the number one show on cable and beat out many other Fox shows in their primetime slots. As of 2024, the show averages over 3.04 million viewers. If nothing else, it seems that audiences have found something engaging with the series.
To that end, they've also gotten to know its many rotating co-hosts, including Jessica Tarlov. However, fans may not see her on the show for a while. What happened?
Jessica Tarlov is taking a break from 'The Five' to double down on parenting.
Jessica has been contributing to Fox since 2017 and has served as one of the "alternating liberal hosts" on The Five since 2022. According to her Twitter bio, she is a self-proclaimed "defender of Democrats" and has tried to inject liberal commentary into what might otherwise be considered a one-sided conservative echo chamber on the show. She is also Vice President of Research and Consumer Insight for Bustle Digital Group and was named one of the 2024 Women of Impact on Variety.
Amid her busy news schedule, Jessica has also taken pride in being a parent. Shortly after getting married to hedge fund executive Brian McKenna in 2021, she and her husband welcomed a daughter named Cleo in December of the same year. Later on in January 2024, she announced that she was once again pregnant and was expecting a second child. Their second daughter arrived later that April.
On April 15, 2024, Jessica and Brian welcomed baby Teddy to the family. On Twitter, Jessica tweeted that she "will be on maternity leave for [the] next few months so to the haters and losers, enjoy the break! I know I will with my girls."
As of this writing, Jessica is still on maternity leave and will remain as such for the foreseeable future.
If you don't follow Jessica on social media, regular viewers of The Five will have already seen photos of her new baby on the show itself. In The Five's regular sign-off segment, "One More Thing," the co-hosts took the time to gush over Jessica's latest baby photos and congratulate Jessica herself on the latest milestone she made with her family.
