Kicking off week two of his weekday show on Monday, Fox News Channel host Greg Gutfeld blasted CNN as hellbent on “elevat[ing]...heart rates by making people hate each other” with their latest virtue-signaling charade coming in the form of Brian Stelter, attacking Fox hosts for not posting selfies when getting the coronavirus vaccine.
Gutfeld’s monologue began with clips from CNN charlatan Jim Acosta mocking former President Trump as a loser and then Stelter’s screed about the need for journalists to flaunt themselves on social media.
The FNC host didn’t mince words after hearing Stelter’s drivel: “Holy [EXPLETIVE]. So now, virtue-signaling includes telling people to virtue signal. OK, Brian. I'll bite. Why haven't we made a vanity display of our vac status? Because it's none of your [EXPLETIVE] business.”
Quipping that Stelter should “start with his cholesterol” if he wanted to talk about publicizing one’s medical information, Gutfeld added that the Zuckerville resident lecturing outsiders about a healthy lifestyle was “as rich as the frosting on his morning strudel.”
Continuing to joke while also making an important point about CNN, Gutfeld continued:
If he wants to do a fitness battle of the network stars, count me in. Unless it's a pie eating contest. Now last week, I called CNN the shame network, because all it does is look down at Americans, but it's actually worse than that. It's now officially pro-peer pressure.
Later on, Gutfeld replayed Fredo Cuomo’s staged reemergence from his basement after his COVID bout to make a larger point about CNN’s penchant for creating “a completely manufactured moment” when they should “worry less about showing off and more about being real.”
Going back to Stelter, Gutfeld riffed about how the Reliable Sources host has been “tearing a rotator cuff” from “patting himself on the back” and if he instead “did one sit-up for every time he shamed other people, he'd have an eight pack in two days.”
Jokes aside, Gutfeld said Stelter’s point wasn’t “about improving health, it's about showing off while shaming you” as part of CNN’s mission to “elevate their heart rates by making people hate each other” as they’d “prefer a scarlet letter” for those without the vaccine as opposed to supporting vaccine passports.
He then concluded:
Stelter is behaving like the guy who smoked cigarettes and then criticizes you for eating red meat. And the truth is, if you get a vaccine because someone on TV did, you're an idiot. Take responsibility for yourself and make up your own mind. You can still do that in America, I think.
Outside of his conservative-hating and venomous base, Stelter’s gripe fell on deaf ears as his ratings suffered their lowest mark of 2021. FoxNews.com’s Brian Flood found that Reliable Sources had “only 923,000 total viewers” and added to what’s been a viewership of below a million “in four of the past five telecasts.”
In contrast, Gutfeld had been on a ratings tear, easily topping late-night cable comedy rivals Trevor Noah’s Daily Show and Conan O’Brien’s TBS program as well as cable competitors Don Lemon on CNN and Brian Williams on MSNBC.
Better yet, Gutfeld’s cable show topped NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and nearly tied far-left ABC comic Jimmy Kimmel.
To see the relevant transcript from FNC’s Gutfeld! on April 12, click “expand.”
FNC’s Gutfeld!
April 12, 2021
11:00 p.m. EasternJIM ACOSTA [on CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta, 04/11/21]: For Donald Trump, every day is kind of a grievance Groundhog Day. It seems he gets up every day, gripes about the election, then wakes up the next day still a loser.
GREG GUTFELD: Hmmm. For Jim Acosta, every day is Halloween. He always goes as a nonpartisan reporter.
[AUDIENCE CHEERS, LAUGHTER, AND APPLAUSE] [GUTFELD! OPENING CREDITS]
GUTFELD: Yes. All right. So in between calling people racist and finding a therapist for Chris Cuomo. This happened on CNN yesterday.
BRIAN STELTER [on CNN’s Reliable Sources, 04/11/21]: Important to see all these TV anchors, personalities, showing themselves getting the shot. We've seen a lot of vaccine selfies from lots of folks at lots of different networks. It's been really inspiring to see, you know, the today's show even brought the co-hosts outside for a live group vaccination this week and Rachel Maddow on Friday on MSNBC, talked about how she was really fearful of the needle, really worried about it and yet, it was important to get the shot and she did, and there she is talking about it on air. So, I say all of that to make the following point: Where our Tucker and Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham? Where is Ainsley Earhardt and Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade. Where are the biggest stars on Fox getting vaccinated? I get it's a personal choice. I get that's between, you know, the hosts and their healthcare provider, but everybody else is doing it, right? Not at all across television. All these anchors are rolling up their sleeves. Why do you think we haven't seen the biggest stars on Fox news get vaccinated or show us their vaccine selfies?
[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER]
GUTFELD: Holy [EXPLETIVE]. So now, virtue signaling includes telling people to virtue signal. OK, Brian. I'll bite. Why haven't we made a vanity display of our vac status? Because it's none of your [EXPLETIVE] business. [AUDIENCE CHEERS, LAUGHTER, AND APPLAUSE] And if — and if Brian — and if Brian — and if Brian believes personal medical info should be publicized, he can start with his cholesterol. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] His — his HCL numbers are lower than his ratings. The World Obesity Federation found risk of death from COVID-19 is 10 times higher in countries where the population is overweight. And he's accusing us of not setting a healthy example? That's as rich as the frosting on his morning strudel. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] If he wants to do a fitness battle of the network stars, count me in. Unless it's a pie eating contest. Now last week, I called CNN the shame network, because all it does is look down at Americans, but it's actually worse than that. It's now officially pro-peer pressure. Let's replay Brian's key arguments. Shall we?
STELTER [on CNN’s Reliable Sources, 04/11/21]: Where are the biggest stars on Fox getting vaccinated? [SCREEN WIPE] I get it's a personal choice, but everybody else is doing it right, Matt?
GUTFELD: Everybody else is doing it, right, Matt? That's a great point, Brian. So does that mean you will start showing your news sources since other reporters are doing it? And Brian, you know what else other people are doing? 30 minutes of cardio. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] Actually, saying you should do it because other people are doing it isn't what I would call wisdom. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] Now that's what your worst friend from grade school says. It's how Bob Lawson got me to eat slugs — that and they were delicious. But look, I got my shot and there's a reason you didn't see it. Not everything has to be made for TV. You know what happens when you think like that? This.
CHRIS CUOMO [on CNN’s Cuomo PrimeTime, 04/20/20]: All right. Here it is. The official reentry. from the basement. Cleared by CDC, little sweaty. [KAT TIMPF GROANS] Just worked out. This is what I’ve been dreaming of.
GUTFELD: Yeah. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] A completely manufactured moment. All to get it on TV and signal his virtue as if he was down there the whole time and not across the town, across the street, picking fights with locals. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] So maybe worry less about showing off and more about being real. Fact is, if co-morbidity could talk that, thy name would be Brian Stelter. According to The Washington Post, one study attributed 30 percent of COVID hospitalizations to obesity. So rather than demanding we parade our virtuousness, Stelter should be showing us what he's doing to get better. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] Instead, he's tearing a rotator cuff, patting himself on the back. If this guy did one sit-up for every time he shamed other people, he'd have an eight pack in two days. But see, it's not about improving health, it's about showing off while shaming you. Reducing body fat is the number one lifestyle change that improves your chances against COVID and it requires self-control. And that's exactly why it's less popular than the apple slices in your Happy Meal. CNN would rather elevate their heart rates by making people hate each other. Instead of a vaccine passport maybe they prefer a scarlet letter. My humble advice. If you have heightened risks for COVID address them before judging others. Stelter is behaving like the guy who smoked cigarettes and then criticizes you for eating red meat. And the truth is, if you get a vaccine because someone on TV did, you're an idiot. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] Take responsibility for yourself and make up your own mind. You can still do that in America, I think.
[AUDIENCE CHEERS, LAUGHTER, AND APPLAUSE]
ANNOUNCER: Period.
