What happened to Greg Gutfeld? Why the Fox News host is off the air

Of all the personalities on Fox News, Greg Gutfeld might be the Fox News-iest.

Gutfeld hosts the popular late-night show "Gutfeld!" — routinely the highest-rated show on late-night TV in terms of total viewers. And he is a member of "The Five," the highest-rated show on the highest-rated network on cable TV.

In that respect, he may well be the most popular person in cable news.

He's definitely one of the smarmiest (though Jesse Watters, one of his co-hosts on "The Five," gives him a run for his money). That's not a criticism so much as brand recognition; it's what Gutfeld is known for.

What happened to Greg Gutfeld?

Recently, however, Gutfeld has been absent from TV. And, as happens every time someone misses some shows, people start to wonder: Has he been fired? It happens with local TV news and with national TV news. But c'mon, in Gutfeld's case, do you really think they'd hire such a popular personality?

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Nope. Instead, to what was apparently the surprise of many, Gutfeld, 60, became a father. Dana Perino, another co-host of "The Five," made the announcement on the show on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

"This is going to be a great surprise for a lot of you," Perino said. "You might have noticed that our friend Greg Gutfeld hasn't been here for a couple of weeks, and it's for a good reason. This is a statement that he sent me today. So I'm reading this as if I'm Greg.

"'It is with great joy that my wife Elena and I have welcomed a baby girl into the world. Mira is healthy with a real set of lungs. She has Elena’s beautiful eyes and my rock-hard abs. We are hard at work teaching her three languages and putting her through rigorous workout routines. She is already very observant and has asked if Jesse wears a toupee. I told her that he definitely wears a wig.'"

That wasn't a joke about him being smarmy.

How did Gutfeld's Fox News co-hosts react to his absence?

"The Five" hosts congratulated Gutfeld, also in their own way.

"We are there in spirit," Perino said. "Just not changing diapers."

Watters weighed in with, "We are enjoying the time without you. Take as long as you want."

Who is Greg Gutfeld's wife?

Gutfeld is married to Elena Moussa, whom he met in Portugal in 2004, according to People magazine. They married five months after meeting. She works in fashion as a stylist.

They also have a dog named Gus, who found his way into Gutfeld's statement that Perino read.

"As you can understand, we value our privacy and we thank everyone for the good wishes," Gutfeld said in the statement. "And now I have to go stop Gus from licking her face."

Elena Moussa age

Elena Moussa, Greg Gutfeld's wife, is 42 years old.

Is Gutfeld's wife Russian?

Yes. Elena Moussa is originally from Russia.

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