What You Never Knew About Fox News' Jessica Tarlov

Business is booming at Fox News. Rupert Murdoch's right-leaning cable news net raked in $3.7 million in revenue during 2025 — in fact, that year's fourth quarter brought Fox News its highest ad revenues of any quarter in its history. It's fair to day that a big part of that success has been "The Five," the five-nights-a-week panel show in which five Fox personalities weigh in on the news of the day. That panel has featured various personalities over the years, but one constant has been Jessica Tarlov. 

Tarlov began appearing on the network in 2017 as a contributor, before eventually joining Fox News on a full-time basis and becoming a regular on "The Five," the most popular show on television's highest-rated cable news network. As the show's viewers are well aware, Tarlov tends to stand out from her four co-hosts as the sole liberal on a panel of arch-conservatives. In addition to her role on "The Five," Tarlov also participates in other news coverage on Fox News, in addition to hosting her own podcast, "Raging Moderates," joined by co-host Scott Galloway.

Prior to coming to Fox News, though, Tarlov held some non-TV jobs. In addition to her previous role as a senior strategist with a consulting firm, she's also vice president of research and consumer insight for Bustle Digital Group, a gig she juggles with her Fox News duties. Meanwhile, viewers of "The Five" are likely unaware that she's technically Dr. Tarlov, having earned a PhD in government from the prestigious London School of Economics — just one of many fascinating facts about her that may not be commonly known. To correct that, read on to find out what you never knew about Fox News' Jessica Tarlov.

"The Five" is not the only Fox News program on which Jessica Tarlov has appeared. Back in 2019, she was seen on the network's flagship morning show, "Fox & Friends" — where, instead of sharp political commentary, she shared something else entirely: a recipe. Joined by her mother, sister, and brother-in-law, Tarlov showed viewers how to whip a family favorite, linguine with bacon, corn, asparagus, and leeks (although, to be fair, it was actually her mom, Judy, who demonstrated how to make the meal, while she looked on and handed over the occasional ingredient). As Judy Tarlov explained, the recipe had actually been created by her husband, Mark Tarlov, who'd attending cooking school in the evenings while working by day at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. 

Tarlov herself would be the first to admit that her own culinary skills are not nearly so impressive. Interviewed by USA Today in 2017, revealed that her father's skill in the kitchen was not among the traits that she'd inherited from him. "I do a fair amount of evening shows at Fox so am often there until about 8, and then I go out to dinner because eating peanut butter out of the jar is the extent of my cooking," she quipped. 

There have been tragic details about Fox News' Jessica Tarlov, and that was the case in August 2021, when she tweeted some sad news: "My amazing Dad passed away," she wrote, adding, "what an incredible life he led!" Mark Tarlov, who died at age 69 , did indeed have an extraoradinary life. In addition to serving as a prosecutor with the DOJ, and moonlighting as an amateur chef, he also distinguished himself in other fields that had nothing to do with either of those. For instance, in the late 1970s, he was hired to work in the business affairs division of Warner Bros. That eventually led him to transition into another area when he became a producer on 1983 horror film "Christine." He went on to produce several more movies before seguing into directing.

In the late 1990s, Mark — an aficionado of fine wine — had been collecting vintage bottles. That hobby sent him on a whole new career path when he began buying and leasing vineyards with an eye to producing his own wine. He then founded the Evening Land winery. By all accounts, Mark's wines were superb, but his commitment to excellence came at a price. After years of failing to turn a profit, the winery's frustrated investors eventually pushed him out. He responded by launching more wine brands, Chapter 24 and Rose & Arrow, which focused on the pinot noir variety. As his one-time consultant, Larry Stone, told Wine Spectator, Tarlov was less focused on the business aspect than on the quality of what he was bottling, and he never made any money at it. "But it turned out wonderfully for making great wine," Stone observed.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jessica Tarlov was among the millions of people throughout the world who were forced to work from home. In Tarlov's case, spending more time in her NYC apartment than usual led her to get to know her next-door neighbor, Brian McKenna. Their neighborly friendship soon blossomed, and they began dating. Indeed, the love story between Tarlov and McKenna is right out of a Hallmark movie.

In August 2021, while appearing on Fox Business News show "Kennedy," Tarlov announced to viewers that she and Tarlov, an executive of a hedge fund, had gotten engaged. "When we went to look at engagement rings, the jeweler told me they've never been so busy with people who have just met," she told the Los Angeles Times, observing that she and McKenna were among the many who'd found love during that trying time. 

A few weeks after that, Tarlov and McKenna — who were already expecting their first child — tied the knot. When her Fox News colleague Guy Benson tweeted a photo of the smooching couple, taken at their wedding, Tarlov responded with a tweet of her own. "Chief romance correspondent reporting for marriage duty," she wrote. "Thank you, Guy!" Their daughter, Cleo, arrived in December 2021, followed by their second daughter, Teddy, in April 2024.

With a demanding television career and two young children, it's fair to say that Jessica Tarlov has her hands full with these dual roles. "Your motherhood can be as much or as little part of your work life as you want it to be," she told Carry, pointing out that integrating those seemingly non-complementary roles had made a difference. "Some things must change because you have more obligations," she added, "but it doesn't have to be your identity if you don't want it to be."

However, she's felt the darker side of being a working mother who doubles as a celebrity, admitting that there's still a lot of "mom judgment" out there. Whether it's been criticism for having a nanny, using daycare, or leaving a baby with a caregiver overnight, she's heard it all. "And because I'm in the public eye and have shared so much of my personal life on air, people feel like they know me and can just let it rip with their views," she said of the opinions that people insist on sharing with her. And while she attempts to shrug it off, she's not immune to experiencing mom guilt. "And I don't know any mom who doesn't," she declared. 

When Jessica Tarlov was asked to identify the one person she'd most love to swap careers with, she shared a surprising response, revealing she would love to experience the career of legendary basketball player Bill Russell. "I'm an NBA fanatic and his passing was very impactful," she told Carry of the late Boston Celtics star, who died in 2022 at the age of 88. "To be such a great champion and a trailblazing civil rights icon is such a special, and important, combination." She would also, she added, eagerly take on the career of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, "for the same reasons."

If she ever does get the opportunity to demonstrate her skills on the basketball court, opponents will realize that she's one tall drink of water. She credits her height to staying away from coffee when she was growing up. And while there's no scientific evidence to support the old wives' tale that coffee will stunt the growth of children who drink it, Tarlov decided to take the better-safe-than-sorry approach. "Ended up 5 feet, 11 inches with no caffeine addiction," she proudly told USA Today. 

When appearing onscreen on "The Five," Fox News personality Jessica Tarlov is apt to be attired in a smart and attractive outfit. In fact, it's unlikely that anyone who bumps into on the street would encounter her looking frumpy and disheveled; though, you may catch her without her trademark frames on occasion. (Surprisingly, Tarlov's face completely changes when she ditches her glasses.) "I like to dress up. Always have, always will," she wrote in a piece she penned for Bustle.

Whenever she's told that her attractive appearance is detracting from the political points she's making, or criticized that her success on television has come from her good looks rater than her sharp mind, she has an answer at the ready. "My response is always the same: I feel more fierce when I look fierce — and when I feel more fierce, I get better results," she continued.

For Tarlov, looking good makes her feel good — which, in turn, makes her feel that she can do her job more effectively. "Frankly, I make more of a difference," she insisted. Besides, she added, that type of criticism reeks of sexism. "Nobody ever judges men on how they dress," she observed, "so why on earth should anyone take me less seriously?"

Ever since she first appeared on Fox News back in 2017, the camera has loved Jessica Tarlov. Watching her years later on "The Five," it's clear that she's a natural on television. However, being a TV personality had never been something to which Jessica ever aspired — until she did it. Unlike most people on cable news, Jessica never studied journalism or got a start in local TV news. Her experience is of a more academic nature; in addition to her PhD in government, she holds a bachelor's degree in history and two master's degrees, one in public policy and the other in political science. 

In fact, if there was a member of her family that was destined for a job onscreen, it would have been her sister, Molly Tarlov, an actor best known for the TV series "Awkward." "My sister is the TV person in the family," Jessica said to The Washingtonian. While Jessica may have been surprised by her own unexpected success on cable news, that was not the case of the guy who recommended her for the job, her former boss and mentor Douglas Schoen. Schoen had been a frequent contributor to Fox News and came to believe that Tarlov had what it took to do it as well. "Whenever I would critique her work, she would smile and come back at me, so I knew she would be a natural," Schoen told The New York Times.

As the sole liberal voice on Fox News, Jessica Tarlov isn't exactly a beloved figure with high-level conservatives — particularly Donald Trump, who has frequently criticized Tarlov. In an October 2024 post on his Truth Social platform, Trump listed "Jessica Tarloff" as being among television's "Radical Left Democrat mouthpieces." That, however, was kinder than what he'd written about her the previous year, when he issued a scathing Truth Social post that blasted her with both barrels. In his post, he declared his love of "The Five" — albeit "with the exception of wacky Jessica Tarlov, who is absolutely terrible. Her facts are knowingly wrong, her jittery presentation is horrendous and, forgive me, her VOICE is grating and unendurable." 

He reiterated his distaste for Tarlov in a 2026 post that covered similar ground. "I am watching one of the least attractive and talented people on all of television, Jessica Tarlov," he wrote. "Her voice is so grating and terrible, I had to 'turn her off!'" While Tarlov comprehended that such criticism comes with the territory, she admitted that Trump's tirades have impacted her social media presence. "He knows how to hurt you," Tarlov told The New York Times. "He did it overnight, so I woke up to all of that on my phone, and it obviously invites a ton of horrific people into your Twitter life."

Outnumbered four to one whenever she raises a counterpoint on "The Five," Jessica Tarlov is under no illusion that the liberal viewpoints she epouses will land with all Fox News viewers, particularly when the other four panelists push back. When asked how she's able to do it, Tarlov explained that she hadn't known any other scenario. "I've been at Fox my entire media career. So, I don't know anything different," she said on Katie Couric's "Next Question" podcast. "And I think it's prepared me for those more difficult conversations."

Tarlov also offered her theory about why "The Five" has been so successful. The secret, she said, was that they kept the conversations "light," in the manner of a political discussion among friends or family members who may have differing political perspectives but don't fight over them. Tarlov equated the five to a Thanksgiving dinner where the participants are primarily conservative. "And there are moments of agreement, where we all come together and say, like, 'Yeah, that doesn't seem right, we can all be on the same side of this.'"

Among her celebrity fans is movie director Quentin Tarantino, who praised Tarlov for her effectiveness at getting her points across in such an adversarial environment. "Even the existence of this one person is an interesting thing to me," Tarantino said during an appearance on Bill Maher's "Club Random" podcast. "They put [Tarlov] on their big show, and she says what she says against the Fox audience, and against the panel ... As far as I can see, that is the hardest job on television."

Shortly after completing her PhD at the London School of Economics, Jessica Tarlov found herself swept up in politics and wound up working on Boris Johnson's campaign for re-election as the city's mayor in 2012. After Johnson had been ousted as Britain's prime minister a decade later, Tarlov wrote an obituary for Johnson's political campaign for The Hill. She began the piece by asking the question that was certainly on the minds of most readers. "You may be wondering, 'What's a nice liberal girl from New York City doing working for a British Conservative?'" she wrote. She answered by explaining that British conservatism was very different from its American counterpart and that she couldn't stomach Johnson's opponent, Ken Livingstone, whom she characterized as "an antisemite." 

She also pointed out that the 2012 version of Johnson was very different from the one he ended up becoming. "Plus, in those days, Boris Johnson was known for his love of cycling and dedication to greener transportation policies, his tough-on-crime approach, pledge to build more affordable housing, and fanaticism for making the London Olympics a triumph," she pointed out. Back in 2017, though, Tarlov compared Johnson to the former real estate developer and reality TV star who would come to loathe her. "He has an appeal to people like nothing you've ever seen, very similar to how cultish people got about Trump," she told The Washingtonian of Johnson. "It was weird. He'd do something really embarrassing and he'd get a poll bump."

Anchors and hosts on cable new shows have occasionally been forced to issue apologies, especially after reporting something that later turned out to be incorrect. Other times, though, those apologies are responses to improprieties that have been exposed, and Fox News has certainly seen some explosive scandals that completely rocked the network. For instance, Fox host Greg Gutfeld has experienced his share of controversial moments.

Count Jessica Tarlov among the Fox News personalities who've apologized to viewers, though the circumstances behind her mea culpa were far different from that of, say, Bill O'Reilly, who is among the many Fox News hosts who were fired for their inappropriate behavior. No, Tarlov's apology, tongue-in-cheek though it may have been, was addressing the toxicity of cable news as a whole. "As someone who's on cable news, I apologize to the entire world for what we export," Tarlov said while speaking to political scientist Larry Sabato about the infuriating aspects of TV news and social media on her "Raging Moderates" podcast.

Back in 2017, Jessica Tarlov was still at the beginning of her Fox News journey when she was asked about her political ambitions. "I think about running for office someday and I know I'll always keep my foot in the political door," she told USA Today. Given Tarlov's multiple degrees and years of experience refuting Republican talking points on "The Five," she would seem to be an ideal candidate. 

If Tarlov ever does throw her hat into the political arena and wind up elected, the irony would be that it was the election of Donald Trump as president who seemingly paved the way for people like her, folks with no prior experience as professional politicians. "Perhaps the one good thing President Trump has done is open the door to non-politician politicians," she observed. "I could see myself taking advantage of that and hope a lot more young Democrats will, too."