Red Eye (talk show)

Red Eye
File:Redeyeprogram.png Title card for Red Eye
Genre	Comedy Satire News parody
Presented by	Greg Gutfeld
Starring	Bill Schulz Andrew Levy Pinch (puppet)
Voices of	Mrs. Jackie Gutfeld Bill Schulz (as "Pinch")
Composers	Matthew and Neil de Luca (theme and cues)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	900 (As of January 8, 2011)
Production
Production location	New York City
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	60 minutes (about 43 minutes 30 seconds without commercials)
Original release
Network	Fox News Channel
Release	February 5, 2007 – present

Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld is a late-night/early-morning satirical talk show on the Fox News Channel, airing at 3:00 a.m. ET Tuesday through Saturday. The show features panelists and guests discussing the latest news in politics, pop culture, entertainment, business, sports and religion. The show is hosted by former Maxim UK editor Greg Gutfeld.

In 2007, VH1 contributor Michelle Collins described watching Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld as, "You almost feel like you’re going out and not going out. It’s like being at a bar with your friends and hearing all their opinions—while laying in bed eating Snackwell cookies."

History

Second episode/opening line

On February 6, 2007, host Greg Gutfeld opened the second episode of Red Eye with, "Hey, this is Red Eye. It's kind of like The View, but with bladder control."

Show's name

Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld was originally named Wasteland in its early testing stages. At one time, a series of video clips of this early version were available on the Fox News website. The original name, Wasteland, was selected because the show was about "a land of waste" and meaninglessness. The show was later renamed Red Eye because the original name was thought to be too negative and would repel viewers. The phrase "red eye" was chosen because it is commonly associated with meaning anything very late-night/early-morning and was a much better fit with the very late airtime of this show. According to one of the producers, among the original target audiences were “slackers and losers," the “depressed, the dissatisfied, the depraved," and “bloggers." However in the age of hyper-political-correctness, Red Eye has become "the go-to show for the rigid and the joyless – those poor wonks at watchdog blogs whose only way of income is creating a universe of make-believe offensiveness."

Legal issues

Following the first weeks of the program, the Chicago Tribune filed suit against News Corporation, the company which owns Fox News Channel, alleging that the show's title could be confused with the Tribune's free commuter daily, RedEye, launched in 2002. Senior Vice President of Fox News John Moody proposed to U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo that Red Eye be blacked out from Chicago area viewers to prevent confusion with the Tribune's RedEye. In the event Fox News lost the case, other solutions Moody proposed were cancelling Red Eye and reinstating reruns of Fox Report w/ Shepard Smith.

On April 4, Judge Bucklo denied the Tribune Co. injunction request. Bucklo stated that while the trademarks may be similar aurally, but not visually, Fox did not show intent to "pass off" Red Eye as a collaboration with the Tribune. Bucklo stated that "the only similarities between the products are the fact that both involve a media used to deliver news."

Rachel Marsden's departure

On Wednesday, May 30, 2007, regular Red Eye panelist Rachel Marsden was removed from the show and escorted out of the Red Eye offices by security guards, which Marsden alleged is standard procedure when a Fox employee is fired. On her blog, Marsden, said, "I will no longer be appearing on the show, as I have been told that it is heading in a 'different direction' from its inception and I am the 'first casualty'. As a political and news commentator, being a panelist on what had become a totally off-the-wall-and-into-orbit show was an interesting experience. It was also the first time that I was ever considered the 'sane one' on any program, so I am grateful for that unique opportunity and wish the boys the very best of luck.'" Her last appearance on the show was on May 30, 2007, after talking through the laughter of a Jeffrey Ross punchline.

Episode structure

The show features a round table of panelists, as well as guests linked by satellite. The show begins with Gutfeld's introduction of his guests, which include playful, but generally complimentary, descriptions about each of them. Other non-traditional characteristics of the show include the use of offbeat imagery, often obscure viral videos featuring animals, especially cats, during certain segments. Greg Gutfeld, with advisory from sidekick Bill Schulz and ombudsman Andy Levy, writes the daily content. Bill Schulz is always introduced with an insult directed at him by Gutfeld at the top of each show. Andrew Levy, referred to as "TV's Andy Levy" or "TV's Very Own Andy Levy", acts as the show's ombudsman, appearing in the Pregame Report, Halftime Report w/ Andy Levy and Post-Game Wrap-up segments. In contrast to his comments towards Schulz and Levy, Gutfeld praises his guests at the beginning of the show with exaggerated comparisons, many of which are submitted by fans.

Block	Standard Content
A	Pregame Report, Discussion
B	Discussion
C	Halftime Report
D	One or more of the following: Lightning Round/Discussion/Guest Interview
E	One or more of the following: Recurring Segment/Discussion/Guest Interview
F	Post-Game Wrap-Up

Show's segments

Daily/weekly segments

• Pregame Report: "TV's Andy Levy" gives a brief summary of the topics to be discussed in that night's episode. Near the end of 2009, Levy began adding a rap to the end of the segment. Initially, Gutfeld countered with his own rap; as of early 2010, Gutfeld no longer offers his own rap and has stopped responding to Levy's. As of early spring 2010 Andy has stopped his rap on a regular basis.
• Greg-alogue: A comedic monologue similar to what is seen on other late-night TV talk shows but instead of several topics being referenced, a single topic is discussed extensively, much like "Talking Points" of The O'Reilly Factor. Each Greg-alogue ends with a statement that includes an unprovable accusation such as "And if you disagree with me, then you're probably a racist." Formerly, Gutfeld ended the Greg-alogue with "And if you disagree with me, then you sir are worse than Hitler" This is done to mock his former co-workers at the Huffington Post. In 2010, Gutfeld began altering the accusation to "...then you are a racist homophobe" to satirize the unprovable claim by liberals that anyone who criticizes President Obama's policies are racists who also hate homosexuals. Later on, he started ending the Greg-alogues with "you're a racist, homophobic..." and the third word being a varying phobia, or the Hitler accusation.
• Halftime Report w/ Andy Levy: Levy points out the mistakes made by Gutfeld and the panel during their discussions, asks questions, seeks clarifications and makes comments. When the Halftime Report occurs in the D block, it's renamed the Halftime(ish) Report.
• Art Auction For Charity: Starting in early 2011, one of Gutfeld's drawings, often featuring unicorns or unicorn-heads on human bodies (unicorn/human hybrid), is put up for a week-long charity auction (viewers e-mail RedEye at FoxNews with bids). The highest bidder at the end of the week wins the drawing. Most winning bids have ranged from $500 to $1,500. Proceeds have been donated to two American veterans' charities: Wounded Warrior Project and TAPS. During the 'Art Auction For Charity', Gutfeld uses his own celebrity to lampoon certain Hollywood celebrities, who do charity work for shameless self-promotion, by telling the viewers his motivation is, "It's not about charity, it's about me being awesome." On the May 14, 2011 episode, just two weeks after Osama bin Laden was dispatched in Pakistan, one of the highest winning bids (the highest winning bid ever was $7,600) was accepted for a drawing of a unicorn/human hybrid holding the decapitated head of Osama bin Laden. The winning bid for this Osama bin Laden related drawing was $2,258.
• Lightning Round formerly known as Stories We Sort of Liked But Not Enough to Include Earlier in the Show But Still Wanted to Talk About [Them] So Let's Really Quickly Do Them Now!: The panel does a lightning round of various topics.
• Post-Game Wrap-Up w/ Andy Levy: Occurs at the end of the program. Levy asks the panel questions. Often, this segment serves as an opportunity for them to plug a project or appearance. The segment was originally a version of the Halftime Report, but later changed to its current format. Greg Gutfeld then thanks his guests, offering each a short compliment; for example, "A pleasure," or "Always a delight." The exception is Bill Schulz, to whom he usually says "Disgusting," "You disgust me," or "You suck."

Recurring (but infrequent) segments

• Ann-imals: Ann Coulter reads commentary while cute videos of animals are shown.
• Ask-Abee Huckabee: The panel (or "Red Eye Robot Theater" robots) asks former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee questions.
• Blogger of the Week Gutfeld responds to a negative blog post about him.
• Father Knows Best: Father Jonathan Morris, a Fox News analyst and news contributor, answers questions from viewers on faith, religion and ethical issues.
• Fox News Alert: A fake Fox News Alert done by Andy Levy. Previously, before its return, often having something to do with the King of the Belgians, Albert II.
• Greg's Mom: Senior Correspondent Jackie Gutfeld, Gutfeld's mother, calls the program to give her view on the news of the day.
• Guess the Story: An obscure video clip is played and the panel has to guess what the story is.
• Halftime Report sponsor: Just before going to commercial, a voiceover attributes that night's Halftime Report to sponsorship by something mundane. The voiceover is currently done by one of the show's producers, Tom O'Connor. Previously, Gutfeld would thank whatever sponsored the Halftime Report, and then impersonate its reply.
• Hello Barry: Gutfeld plays a recent speech made by President Barack Obama with a laugh track inserted during the pauses.
• Jeff from Tallahassee: Footage of the "Red Eye Superfan" giving a brief non sequitur.
• Mail Time: Gutfeld reads letters and e-mails sent by the viewers. Prior to 2010, the segment was titled "Male Time" to correspond with images of muscular men in briefs. The images now appear to have been permanently removed, and the spelling is now the word "mail" in its intended context.
• Master Baden: Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist, appears as a "death correspondent" providing medical knowledge for news items involving bodies and death.
• Meet your Baker: Gutfeld reads letters from viewers to Mike Baker, a former CIA operative, who then responds.
• Messages for Greg: Gutfeld plays voice mails left by fans who have called his "direct line," (212) 462-5050. The audio messages are usually accompanied by looping video footage of playful animal encounters (i.e., puppies, kittens, or other pets at play).
• Messages from Mom: Gutfeld plays voice mail messages left by his mother.
• Moment of Intolerance: Gutfeld insults someone (or people who do something trivial but irritating), then offers an Apology.
• Music Notes: Gutfeld talks to Mark Prindle about music news.
• Our View on the View Panel discusses something that recently happened on The View.
• Pinch & Me: Sitcom starring Pinch and Schulz.
• Pop Smear: Popular culture topics are covered.
• Proops' Poop: Comedian, Greg Proops discusses his opinions on topical events.
• Red Eye for Kids: A preproduced segment describing the supposed origins or other information of something for the purpose of educating young viewers.
• Red Eye Robot Theater: Short, pre-made sketches (usually with homosexual overtones between always male robot-actors) using text-to-movie software from Xtranormal. Gutfeld refers to the computer-generated male actors as "robot" versions of the characters they purportedly simulate (either Schulz, Levy, celebrities, or personalities from politics and media). Sketches usually end when one of the robots mentions lotion ("I'll get the lotion" or "Do you have lotion?" or "Keith Olbermann is going to stop by with the lotion. He gives an awesome back-rub."). George Soros' liberal Media Matters is frequently lampooned. After the Washington Post reported in March 2011 on an planned "On-camera Media Training Seminar" for Media Matters employees, Red Eye Robot Theater's criticism of Media Matters was expressed in the desperate plea of a Media Matters robot-employee: “I have no other skills. My job is to obsessively watch Fox News. If you take that away, I have nothing: no friends, no family, no life. I am a shell of a human, deluded into thinking I have purpose, when all I really am is a conduit for my boss’s simmering jealousy over past slights. Fox News is evil and wrong. Fox News is evil and wrong. Fox News is evil and wrong.”
• Ron's Letters To Obama: Author Ron Geraci reads letters that he has mailed to President Barack Obama.
• Space News with Oderus Urungus: GWAR front man Oderus Urungus, as Red Eye's interplanetary correspondent, reports on the latest interstellar happenings.
• Schulz on the Street: Bill Schulz goes off set to do a report often involving talking to everyday people.
• Today in McConaughey: Gutfeld talks to the show's "Matthew McConaughey correspond-aughey," played by shirtless Joshua McCarroll, about news relating to Matthew McConaughey.
• Tonight's Tool! (for Tonight!): Gutfeld discusses someone's statements he considers moronic.
• Twitter News: Andy Levy talks to Gutfeld about posts people have made on Twitter.
• Where are They Now?: Red Eye checks into to see what happened to the stars of an internet video, often cats, that was played on a previous episode.

Retired segments

• As you know, I draw the news: Gutfeld showed a drawing related to a news story, often featuring unicorns (sometimes "Unicorn Jones" and sometimes "Fluffy McNutter"). Sometimes, viewers submitted a title for a chance to win the drawing. In 2011, Greg began drawing "Unicorn Jones" again and auctioned the drawings off during the Art Auction For Charity segment.
• Thanks, Glenn A cold open that aired immediately after a Glenn Beck rerun, which usually ended with the sign-off "Good night, America." The channel cut straight to a shot of Gutfeld, who said, "Thanks, Glenn," followed with a tongue-in-cheek statement, bromide, or complaint such as "...and don't wait up for me." The title sequence followed.
• Ab News: Greg or Courtney Friel reported the news while videotape of Courtney Friel, Shira Lazar, or Diana Falzone (sometimes clips of all three) exercising was shown.
• Bill-A-Buster: After Gutfeld gave his Greg-alogue, often expressing a right-wing viewpoint, Bill Schulz would give a left-wing counterpoint to the Greg-alogue titled "Bill-A-Buster". Often, during his Bill-a-Busters, Bill would wear a pair of "granny glasses." The Bill-a-Buster later returned as the name of Bill's replacement Greg-alogue while guest hosting.
• Guest Who's Coming On?: Gutfeld talks to then guest booker Joshua McCarroll about upcoming guests.
• Previously on Red Eye: A video clip was shown at the beginning of the show of something that supposedly happened on the last show, usually a scene from an obscure film of the 1970s.
• Yoga News: Similar to Ab News, Gutfeld read the news while a video plays of Lauren Sivan in various yoga poses.

Recurring elements

Pinch

"Pinch", a caricature of the liberal elite media named after Times publisher Pinch Sulzberger, is a puppet made from a folded New York Times newspaper and is intended to represent The New York Times itself, not simply a single correspondent or columnist. The puppet is voiced by series-regular Bill Schulz, who also operates the mouth movements by pulling a string atop the puppet. Pinch has appeared in nearly every episode since his debut, discounting episodes where Schulz was absent. However, on April 8, 2011, Dana Vachon was the first person to voice and operate Pinch other than Schulz, who was absent.

Pinch debuted on March 21, 2009 and was originally known as the New York Times Correspondent. After previous attempts by Gutfeld to call him "Timsey", on the March 26 show, the New York Times Correspondent said that "Pinch" would be an acceptable name because "you save a pinch when reading me." Pinch is often heard coughing excessively and, since July 15, 2009, Bill Schulz occasionally changes Pinch's healthy-looking cardboard eyes to sick-looking blood-shot cardboard eyes. As a reference to the national epidemic of newspapers slimming down by reducing content and cutting staff, Pinch has also been drastically reduced over time to merely one thin section of newsprint. On March 31, 2011, Pinch disingenuously explains his "weight loss" by proclaiming, "Today's columnist talks about why he is joining the hunger strike with congressional budget cuts for the poor and hungry. To repeat, my weight loss is directly related to this movement and has nothing to do with the drop in advertising and/or circulation."

Pinch is introduced alongside the rest of the panel at the beginning of the show, usually speaking after Gutfeld prompts him with, "Good to see you again, Pinch", sometimes adding, "you piece of trash." Schulz then responds in character as Pinch with a rhyme; often, the rhyme is a satiric plug for a column or article that references a New York Times columnist or reporter by name.

March 12, 2011, marked the debut of "Porch", Pinch's intern. He is a miniature version of Pinch taken from a Bill Schulz bobblehead figure.

The leg chair

Another recurring element of the show is the "leg chair," the seat on the right-most side of the table. Repeatedly referred to by this name by Gutfeld, Levy, and others, this chair is reserved almost exclusively for female guests of the show, providing a view of their legs in wide shots of the set. Female guests seem willing to play along; however, some have expressed varied feelings toward the leg chair. For example on the April 15, 2010 episode of the show, Gutfeld and Imogen Lloyd Webber had the following exchange:

Webber: "Next thing [Cambridge will] have girls on Red Eye in the leg chair." (referring jokingly to herself)

Gutfeld: "How dare you... you are obsessed with the leg chair."

Webber: "I am, yes."

Outrage glasses

When Bill Schulz becomes exceptionally upset about a topic, he will often put on a pair of Buddy Holly-style large, jet-black glasses known as the "outrage glasses". He will then speak in a farcical, hyper-angry voice. This is often considered to have originated as a playful response to frequent recurring conservative guest S.E. Cupp, who normally wears identical glasses and often expresses her outrage. The first time Schulz donned said glasses, he was seated next to Cupp.

Semi-subliminal message as running gag

Starting in May 2011, a split-second image has been infrequently flashed over a close-up shot of Bill Schulz during panel discussion. This semi-subliminal message is a close-up image of Bill Schulz, who is wearing a silver metallic mask, with the words "AVOID HIM" under the image. Another message was shown in late May covering Andy Levy's face, reading "SAVE HIM." This was in reference to the recent controversy surrounding Harold Camping, who claimed that the world would end on May 21, 2011.

Greg Gutfeld's running gags

During the course of the show, host Greg Gutfeld often uses running gags in certain situations.

• Gutfeld always opens the show with, "Welcome to Red Eye. It's like..." followed by a non sequitur such as "...Dances with Wolves, if by wolves you mean Brazilian trannys."

Bill Schulz: Host Greg Gutfeld's "repulsive sidekick," who is often the target of Gutfeld's running gags.

• Gutfeld often introduces Schulz as "my repulsive sidekick" or "my loathsome sidekick." For example:

Gutfeld: And the Center for Disease Control list him as a symptom. My repulsive sidekick, Bill Schulz.

• Gutfeld intentionally makes insulting characterizations regarding Bill Schulz's appearance, sexual orientation, or general lack of appeal. Often Schulz responds by either playing along with the insult in an over-the-top way, or simply replies with: "Wow! Wow!" or "What did I do to deserve that?" Some examples of Gutfeld's insulting characterizations of Bill Schulz:

Gutfeld: Bill, you often pose online as a man. When will all of this deception end?

Gutfeld: Bill, you don't own a bed, but you still must dream; any of them about Obama?

Gutfeld: Bill, as an avowed racist and hater of black people, you probably think this is an insult to all the good work done by the Klan.

Gutfeld: Bill, you have no friends or family, so as an environmentalist you shouldn't really be flying at all, should you, you worthless sack-of-crap?

• Gutfeld will often mock Andy Levy for being a cat owner by introducing Levy's Halftime Report segment with a cat joke, leaving Andy on the spot to respond to the off-handed comment. Some examples of Gutfeld's off-handed comments to Andy Levy:

Gutfeld: Andy, did you know that those adorable dark spots on the belly of a tabby are called vest buttons?

Gutfeld: Andy has opened an S&M parlor for cats. Andy, what is 'Purr-secution' like?

But occasionally, Andy Levy turns-the-tables on Greg Gutfeld with an off-handed retort of his own:

Gutfeld: Andy has created a towel made entirely of cat hair that cleans up even the toughest messes. Andy, how many Sham-Meows have you sold and will it absorb all the blood in my basement?

Levy: Greg, there aren't even enough tarps in the world to absorb all the blood in your basement.

• Gutfeld often refers to his houseboys, usually with homosexual overtones, but claims his wife knows all about these houseboys, who are of various ethnicities. He also claims these houseboys usually become disgruntled or turn up dead.

• Gutfeld often refers to the nefarious things that happen in his basement, where he keeps his houseboys.

• Gutfeld sometimes deliberately gets confused about well-known geographic knowledge. For example, he might refer to a U.S. state as a country, like referring to Hawaii as "the country of Hawaii," or he might refer to a well-known foreign city as a country, like referring to Paris as "the country of Paris," or referring to Canada as being "located in Eastern Europe."

• Gutfeld sometimes deliberately pretends he has no knowledge of well-known universities or corporations, saying he has "no idea what that is."

• Gutfeld sometimes deliberately gives inaccurate information about music and bands, such as referring to Coldplay as a "girl group".

• Gutfeld and company also satirize and lampoon liberal critics of Fox News, such as the liberal Media Matters. Red Eye has used "Red Eye Robot Theater" to lampoon liberal Media Matters.

• Gutfeld has a self-proclaimed love of unicorns and an equal disdain for the mythical creatures known as a griffins. Often, he will claim that unicorns will always defeat griffins in battle. Gutfeld's drawings of unicorns have been prominently featured in the retired segment "As you know, I draw the news" and the 2011 segment "Art Auction For Charity."

Controversy

Political proxy vs. destructive force

In a September 28, 2010, Rolling Stone article, President Barack Obama spoke of Fox News Channel by accusing the cable network of having a "point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle-class." Greg Gutfield stated he "had enough" of attacks upon Fox News on-air personalities by Democrats and President Obama, Red Eye host Greg Gutfeld responded to this particular political attack by Obama with his following September 2010 Greg-alogue:

"Okay. So, you're the President of the United States, with both houses under your control. You also have the most fawning press of any president in the History of the Universe. And yet you let FNC get under your skin, because it’s the only network that doesn’t have a 'thrill up its leg'?

Obama is like a sports team who owns the Ref, the fans and the field, but refuses to play ball until the kid in the 10th row stops chewing gum."

Then Gutfeld advanced the theory that President Obama keeps attacking Fox News as a proxy for those Americans who do disagree with his policies.:

"And this is why the Whiner-in-Chief needs us. It provides cover, so Obama can criticize Americans without ever saying 'those Americans.' He can just say Fox News instead. One thing is for sure: If you go after a collection of talking-heads, you're going to get an earful back. (And if you disagree with me you're probably a racist homophobe who hates baseball and apple pie.)"

Canadian military lampooned - demands apology

In a five-minute segment broadcast on Tuesday, March 17, 2009, Gutfeld and his panel discussed Canadian Lieutenant General Andrew Leslie's statement that the Canadian military may require a one year "synchronized break" once Canada's mission in Afghanistan ends in 2011. "Meaning, the Canadian military wants to take a breather to do some yoga, paint landscapes, run on the beach in gorgeous white Capri pants," Gutfeld said. "I didn't even know they were in the war," comedian panelist Doug Benson added, then continued, "I thought that's where you go if you don't want to fight. Go chill in Canada." Gutfeld also said, "Isn’t this the perfect time to invade this ridiculous country? They have no army!" Schulz made comments about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and their ceremonial red uniforms, and concluded by saying "This is not a smart culture!"

The segment drew wide attention and outrage in Canada after being posted on YouTube for Canadians to view and after the reported deaths just three days later (Friday, March 20, 2009) of four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. On CBC News, Gutfeld described his show as "a satirical take on the news, in which all topics are addressed in a lighthearted, humorous and ridiculous manner." Outside of Canada, there was scant media coverage.

Doug Benson was scheduled to appear in Canada at Edmonton's The Comic Strip April 3–5, 2009, but the shows were canceled after the owner received threats of "bodily injury" toward the American comic. "Some were saying he wouldn't make it from the airport to the club. For everyone's safety, we decided it was best to avoid the scenario altogether," manager Rick Bronson said. Death threats were also made to Greg Gutfeld's elderly mother after her home address was posted publicly on the Internet.

Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay called on Fox to apologize for the satirical comments, describing the remarks as "despicable, hurtful and ignorant." Shock humourist Tom Green stated he will never go on Red Eye again and lashed out profane statements. Hours after the March 17 comments, Gutfeld maintained the show is satirical and irreverant but offered the following apology: "The March 17th episode of Red Eye included a segment discussing Canada's plan for a 'synchronized break,' which was in no way an attempt to make light of troop efforts. However, I realize that my words may have been misunderstood. It was not my intent to disrespect the brave men, women and families of the Canadian military, and for that I apologize."

Park51: located at the crossroads of "Sensibility" & "Sensitivity"

On August 9, 2010, Gutfeld stated that he planned on constructing the city's first Islamic-friendly gay bar next to the Ground Zero Mosque. As stated in his Greg-alogue, which was featured on Red Eye: "As an American, I believe they have every right to build the mosque - after all, if they buy the land and they follow the law - who can stop them? Which is why, in the spirit of outreach, I've decided to do the same thing. I'm announcing tonight, that I am planning to build and open the first gay bar that caters not only to the west, but also Islamic gay men. I hope the mosque owners will be as open to the bar, as I am to the new mosque. After all, the belief driving them to open their Islamic center near Ground Zero is no different than mine...tolerance and understanding." He also stated an entire floor will only serve non-alcoholic drinks, in keeping with its Muslim-friendly atmosphere. Gutfeld later messaged the Park51 developers of the mosque, seeking a response to his idea. The Park51 group "tweeted" back, "You’re free to open whatever you like. If you won’t consider the sensibilities of Muslims, you’re not going to build dialog."

After that Park51 tweet, Gutfeld announced he wanted to build his establishment and name it Dialogue. Other names for the proposed gay bar were sent into the Red Eye host (via Twitter and the Internet) by fans, such as: al Gayda, Grind Zero, The Holey Land, and Jihard. Gutfeld has stated he supports the constitutional right of anyone to build a mosque on that site; however, it is not a matter of freedom of religion but a question of sensitivity toward New Yorkers and Americans, who were the targets and victims on 9-11, that should be considered first and foremost.

In Popular Culture

Red Eye has appeared in two of Taiwan's Next Media Animations. The first was Is Islamophobia sweeping the US? which showed Gutfeld's gay bar next to the Park51 complex. The second video was Bedbugs Take Over USA. The final scene shows Gutfeld, Levy, and Schulz being attacked and eaten by giant bedbugs on the Red Eye set.

Guest hosts (past and present)

• Andy Levy, Bill Schulz, Griff Jenkins, Jill Dobson, Jim Norton, Michelle Collins, Mike Baker, Mike Huckabee, Steven Crowder, Brian Kilmeade

Ratings

Information about Red Eye's Nielsen ratings is sparse. In March 2007, when the show was still airing at 2 a.m., Red Eye averaged 309,000 viewers in its time slot, down about nine percent from March 2006 when another show aired in that same time slot. In the age 25-54 demographic, however, the show was up 15 percent from the prior year. In March 2006, the 2-3 a.m. time slot averaged 134,000 demo viewers; in March 2007, it was 154,000. In the 18-34 demo, the time slot was up 27 percent, from 33,000 to 42,000.

After the show moved to its current 3 a.m. time slot in October 2007, Red Eye's ratings decreased. As of the show's one-year anniversary, average viewership dipped 15 percent, to 285,000. The 25-54 demo was down 24 percent, to 123,000. The show's second anniversary episode on February 5, 2009, however, appeared to show significant improvement: Red Eye averaged 390,000 viewers, with 166,000 in the 25-54 demo.

Nielsen also found that in March 2008, 6.1% of Red Eye's total viewership came from those who recorded the show, as opposed to watching it when it aired.

In July 2009, Red Eye averaged 335,000 viewers, with 135,000 in the demo. In September 2009, Red Eye averaged 433,000 viewers, with 203,000 in the demo.

In 2009, Red Eye was the 40th-highest rated cable news program, in terms of average total viewers. It averaged 365,000 viewers, with 163,000 in the demo.

From February 1–5, 2010, the week of the show's third anniversary, Red Eye again averaged 433,000 viewers, with 180,000 in the demo.

External links

• Official site at FoxNews.com
• The Daily Gut – Home/archive of each show's "Greg-alogue" and guest list
• Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld – Official Faceboook page
• Red Eye at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com