She is the new permanent member! Who did Emily Compagno replace on The Five? – The answer
Fox News has officially filled the permanent seat on The Five that had remained open for more than a year.
Emily Compagno was announced as the program’s newest permanent co-host on August 24. She will make her official debut in the role on September 8.
Compagno is taking over the seat previously held by Jeanine Pirro, who left The Five in May 2025 after accepting a new position outside the network.
Fox News personalities had rotated through the vacant place at the table for more than 15 months, with Compagno appearing among them before ultimately receiving the permanent position.
Jeanine Pirro’s departure created the opening
Pirro left The Five after President Donald Trump announced on May 8, 2025, that she would become interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
Fox News confirmed that her departure from the network took effect immediately. Pirro was sworn in the following week, with a ceremonial White House swearing-in taking place on May 28.
Trump formally nominated her for the permanent position on June 17. The Senate confirmed her in August 2025 by a vote of 50–45, and she has remained in the role.
Pirro had spent more than a decade at Fox News. Before joining The Five for approximately three years, she hosted Justice with Judge Jeanine.
Her move into public service left Fox News with a significant opening on its most-watched cable news program.
Compagno receives a permanent place at the table
Compagno had already built a visible presence across Fox News before receiving her new assignment. She joined the network as a contributor in 2018 and became a co-host of Outnumbered in 2021.
Her appointment to The Five means she will leave Outnumbered. Fox News said a rotation of network personalities will occupy her former midday seat until a permanent successor is selected.
Compagno said she was grateful to join a team she had admired and worked alongside over the years.
“I couldn’t be more honored to join The Five, a team I have long admired and have been fortunate to work alongside over the years,” she said.
She described receiving an official seat on what she considers “the most fun show on television” as an “incredible privilege,” adding that she could not wait to begin.
Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott also welcomed Compagno to the program, saying her “energy and talent” had made her stand out across the network.
The established panel Compagno will join
Compagno will appear alongside longtime co-hosts Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino and Jesse Watters. The remaining seat is shared by rotating hosts Harold Ford Jr. and Jessica Tarlov.
The Five launched in 2011 and celebrated its 15th anniversary in July. According to the figures included in the announcement, it has remained cable news’ most-watched program for 19 consecutive quarters.
The show averaged 3.6 million viewers during the second quarter of 2026, including 322,000 viewers in the 25-to-54 demographic.
Compagno’s appointment completes a major transition for the program by permanently filling the position Pirro vacated more than a year earlier.
A career extending beyond television
Before joining Fox News, Compagno worked in criminal defense and civil litigation. She later served as a federal managing attorney and acting director at the Social Security Administration.
She was also a senior judicial extern for the late Judge John T. Noonan Jr. at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Outside her legal career, Compagno captained the Oakland Raiders cheerleading squad and worked as an NFL ambassador.
Her 2024 book, Under His Wings: How Faith on the Front Lines Has Protected American Troops, became a New York Times bestseller. The book features first-person accounts from American service members discussing the role of faith in combat, covering conflicts from World War I through more recent military operations in the Middle East.
Compagno now moves from her position on Outnumbered to a permanent role on Fox News’ highest-rated program, officially succeeding Pirro at one of the network’s most recognizable tables.
NBC Co-Hosts Launch Explosive Physical Brawl During Live Debate
NEW YORK — A high-profile morning political debate turned into absolute pandemonium inside 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Thursday when two seasoned NBC co-hosts engaged in a violent, on-set brawl on live national television. The unprecedented melee forced master control to pull the emergency plug, instantly severing the network’s live satellite feed and thrusting the broadcast giant into a severe operational and legal crisis.
The shocking confrontation played out in real time before millions of American households, triggering what broadcast historians are calling one of the most catastrophic on-air collapses in modern television history.
The Breaking Point: How Sharp Rhetoric Turned Physical
According to floor staff and internal network communications, the friction ignited during an open-panel discussion on breaking domestic policy. The co-hosts—routinely paired to generate sharp ideological contrast—quickly abandoned the day’s editorial rundown as policy friction escalated into vicious personal jabs.
Within seconds, the broadcast format completely collapsed:
The Initial Lunge: Following a biting verbal attack, one anchor slammed their palms onto the desk, rose from their chair, and lunged across the set to shove their colleague.
The Melee: The altercation instantly spiraled into a full-scale wrestling match over the anchor desk, sending high-end studio microphones crashing, shattering glassware, and scattering production rundown papers across the stage.
The Master Cut: Open studio audio captured gasps from crew members, heavy scuffling, and an open floor mic catching a panicked director screaming: “Cut the feed! Cut the feed now!”
The Blackout: Exactly four seconds after physical contact began, control room engineers terminated the live feed, replacing the chaotic scene with an abrupt slate of national commercials.
Security Swarms Set, Medical Deployed to 30 Rock
Immediately after the broadcast was cut, building security and floor managers swarmed the Studio 6A set to physically pry the two anchors apart.
On-site medical staff treated both individuals for minor contusions and abrasions sustained during the fall over the anchor platform. Following on-site evaluation, corporate security escorted both commentators out of 30 Rockefeller Plaza through separate exits to prevent further escalation.
Network Issues Indefinite Suspensions, Evaluates Legal Fallout
Late Thursday afternoon, NBC News corporate leadership issued an emergency statement confirming swift disciplinary action:
“NBC News maintains an uncompromising commitment to workplace safety and professional conduct. Physical violence of any description is completely unacceptable. Both on-air contributors have been suspended indefinitely without pay pending an internal investigation and legal consultation.”
Clips capturing the moments leading up to the blacked-out feed exploded across social media within minutes, racking up tens of millions of views across X, TikTok, and YouTube, while igniting widespread public outcry over the deteriorating state of national broadcast discourse.
Industry Fallout: The Breaking Point of Partisan Panel Formats
The shocking clash has ignited an industry-wide reckoning over the risks of high-friction television formats:
Workplace Liability & OSHA Scrutiny: Broadcast networks face severe legal liability when on-air debate formats escalate into physical workplace violence.
Advertiser Sensitivity: Major commercial sponsors are closely monitoring the network’s disciplinary measures, with media buyers warning that extreme volatility endangers high-value morning ad slots.
Panel Format Reassessment: Media analysts predict the brawl will force network executives to overhaul live debate segments, pivoting away from explosive ideological collisions in favor of heavily structured, lower-risk moderation.
As NBC legal and human resources executives review unedited high-definition studio tapes, the Studio 6A brawl remains a stark reminder of the volatile edge facing unscripted live television.
This is a developing media report. Further network statements and talent updates will follow as internal reviews proceed.
