Not that long ago, I was referring to an entity called "the mainstream media," which referred to the cabal of alphabet networks, online magazines, and various news outlets that conveyed the news. I've since stopped using that term as their collective descriptor, because the "mainstream" seems to have disappeared entirely.
Ever since X arrived on the scene, something happened culturally that took so much power out of the corporate media's hands that they're no longer the source of all narratives. Now, the "media" has become a decentralized entity consisting of the "legacy media" and you, me, and private online creators. The legacy media is a mostly distrusted and even hated entity now, with a popular meme circulating around telling people that they don't hate the media enough.
Judging by the legacy media's behavior, it's hard to disagree with that sentiment, and judging by the direction of the attention economy, it seems the majority of people agree that what the former owners of the big stage are old and busted.
Enter Greg Gutfeld, who seems to have the media on the back foot as he dominates spaces that they've effectively owned for decades.
He has a keen wit, hilarious personality, and an almost unstoppable urge to hold up middle fingers to anyone and everyone demanding they bend the knee. Much like Matt Stone and Trey Parker before him, Gutfeld is an irreverent island in a sea of conformity, and people are swimming to his little patch of land.
An article by Variety caught my attention, and judging by the writing, Gutfeld appears to be a frightening anomaly. Tatiana Siegel, watching his show, believes she's watching events in a whole different universe from hers:
During a taping of his top-rated “Gutfeld!,” he scrolls through the offending tweets and booms dramatically, “The more I read of these, the more I’m starting to like this broad.” The actress may have caught a stray here, but the real target of his monologue is Hollywood.
“Gascón’s movie got all those nominations because she ticked the box, and now those who obediently nominated her are boxed in themselves,” he continues with relish. “Her co-stars are distancing themselves from her like Alec Baldwin at a gun range. … And now identity politics has forced them to tear her down. They wanted a trans figurehead, then acted shocked when she turned out to be a complicated person who had some opinions they disagreed with. It must be exhausting to navigate the liberal hierarchy of victimhood.” He deadnames Gascón to boot, which is considered offensive. Hollywood may be ripe for parody, but this is the kind of humor that, were it taking place anywhere on TV other than Fox News, would be a national scandal. The crowd — which skews slightly more female than male — roars with laughter. And I realize that I’ve crossed into an alternate universe.
Siegel's experience with Gutfeld's shock and awe nature comes out in the next paragraph:
Gutfeld may be a novel phenomenon to some. But to a sizable and growing portion of the Fox News audience, he’s the man of the moment. Just as Megyn Kelly defined the network in the late Obama era with her disarmingly direct interview style and Bill O’Reilly occupied the throne throughout the Bush-Cheney years, Gutfeld has become the latest breakout star.
Close, but not quite. Siegel mentions earlier in the article that he's overtaken late night mainstays like Jimmy Fallon and even Stephen Colbert by a million viewers a night, making Gutfeld the undisputed king of late night. Seigel didn't step into an alternate universe where Fox viewers have a new it-guy... she stepped into the universe where America have voted with their eyeballs. By comparison, the legacy media's "funny guys" are the alternative. The majority of Americans are elsewhere.
Hers is the bubble. It always has been, it just didn't become that obvious until recently, and it seems it's finally starting to dawn on those in the legacy media that they're the outsiders. Sure, they have the money, the glitz, the glamor, and the gilding, but for many in America, we're over it. Holding an Oscar is about as impressive as a participation trophy at the science fair. You only won it because it was politically correct for it to happen.
And it's that political correctness that people are tired of. They want to laugh at the emperor, and Gutfeld does it best. In fact, in his time slot, he's the only jester daring to do so. There's a demand and he's ready to supply. Variety quotes Gutfeld on how he's able to do it and others aren't:
“I think that Fallon was a victim of status preservation. I think when I see them all in agreement — not to make jokes about sacred subjects — out of, again, status preservation, [it’s because] they know that they will be cast aside if they do that,” Gutfeld says. “I’m already cast aside. I’m free.”
And I think Gutfelt really nails something here. "Status preservation" is something that has definitely haunted the entertainment industry for some time. Blacklisting isn't exactly a well-kept secret in the industry, and stepping out of that political line will cause a decline in one's career. This makes what Gutfeld is serving up unique. He can say what he wants and can't be threatened over it.
Of course, it's not just that. Gutfeld clearly finds himself on the winning side of the ideological debate right now, and after years of suffering through leftist severity, right-leaning levity is a breath of fresh air. However, Gutfeld's comedy is backed up by hard truths, and I think that's part of what truly lends to his popularity. He's willing to openly say the emperor isn't wearing any clothes. The status he has to preserve is being the guy who does that. Colbert likes to say that's what he does, but let's face facts, he's just another puppet for the Democrats.
And we the people figured that out long ago. The legacy media only seems to be realizing that we know that.
Perhaps this will force them to look at themselves.
