Buckle up, cable news carnage fans, because the late-night left-right rumble just exploded into a full-on feud that’ll make your remote melt! Fox News funnyman Greg Gutfeld – the snarky sovereign of Gutfeld! and The Five, who’s been slinging zingers at libs like they’re free samples at Costco – is now public enemy No. 1 for California Gov. Gavin Newsom. In a blistering all-caps X tirade that’s racked up 2.5 million views overnight, the Golden State’s golden boy slapped a “final warning” on Fox brass, demanding they bench Gutfeld faster than a referee tosses a tantrum-throwing quarterback. Why? Accusations that Greg’s a serial fabricator, churning out “fake news” faster than his fake laugh track, especially after a explosive on-air meltdown where he cursed out co-host Jessica Tarlov like she stole his punchlines. With Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension still smoking and Stephen Colbert’s show circling the drain, is Gutfeld next on the chopping block? Or is this just Newsom’s desperate deflection from his own dumpster-fire disasters? Honey, this Fox fight’s got more fireworks than a Fourth of July flop – and we’re popping the popcorn!

It all detonated on Thursday, September 18, when Newsom – fresh from dodging recall rumors and wildfire woes – unleashed his unhinged ultimatum on X: “FINAL WARNING: SUSPEND GREG GUTFELD FROM FOX NEWS. HE NEEDS A FAKE LAUGH TRACK. HE MAKES THINGS UP. HE’S EASILY TRIGGERED WHEN JESSICA TARLOV SPEAKS.” Oof – that’s not shade, that’s a solar eclipse on Gutfeld’s glow-up! The post, timestamped amid a media meltdown over Kimmel’s ABC axing for his Charlie Kirk assassination rant, quickly snowballed into a scandal supernova. Newsom didn’t stop at suspension; he dangled the FCC carrot (or stick?) like a mob boss collecting protection: “If Fox doesn’t act, we’ll explore every option – because declining ratings deserve better than disinformation.” Translation? The guv’s gunning for regulatory roulette, echoing the Trump-era threats that nuked Kimmel’s gig and left Colbert croaking “Shut your trap!” in a parody pity party. Gutfeld, Fox’s ratings rocket who’s dethroned Kimmel in the Nielsens for two years running, fired back on The Five Friday: “Newsom’s melting down because his state’s a mess – wildfires, homelessness, and now hallucinating my ‘lies.’ Cry me a Chardonnay!” But insiders whisper the heat’s hitting home: Fox execs huddled post-post, eyeing Gutfeld’s contract (up in 2026) amid advertiser jitters.

The spark that singed this showdown? Gutfeld’s viral vitriol-fest on Monday’s The Five, where he hurled “bullsh*t!” at Tarlov like a hot potato in hell’s kitchen. The trigger? A tense tango over political violence post-Charlie Kirk’s gut-wrenching assassination on September 10 at Utah Valley University – gunned down mid-debate by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a white kid from a conservative clan gone rogue with a trans partner and a grudge. Tarlov, the lone liberal lightning rod, dared drop a “both sides” bombshell, citing Minnesota Dem Rep. Melissa Hortman’s June slaying alongside hubby by a deranged neighbor – no political plot, just personal poison. Gutfeld? He erupted like Vesuvius on Viagra: “I never heard of her until she died! Don’t play that bulls**t with me – Kirk was demonized for years by your side!” The F-bomb barrage had censors scrambling, Tarlov tearing up (“So she doesn’t matter?”), and co-hosts like Kayleigh McEnany playing peacemaker. By segment’s end, a half-baked hug: Tarlov apologized for “minimizing,” Gutfeld grumbled “Sorry for cursing,” but the damage? Done. Clips went mega-viral – 10 million YouTube views on Benny Johnson’s breakdown alone – with libs labeling Greg a “mean, cynical lying bully” who “hurls venom and bullshit.” Newsom pounced: “That’s your ‘king of late night’? Fabricating fury to fuel fear – suspend him before he fabricates more.”

Gutfeld’s not flinching – he’s flourishing in the firestorm. On Thursday’s Gutfeld!, he torched the media’s Kimmel pity party: “Libs screamed ‘free speech’ when CNN tried yanking Fox, but now cry foul over consequences? Hypocrites!” He dunked on Howard Kurtz too, mocking the axed MediaBuzz host’s “no saint” Kirk quip: “Tune in next week for clarification… oh wait!” But the receipts? They’re raining down like confetti at a funeral. CNN’s Aaron Blake slapped a $787M Dominion settlement bomb: “Gutfeld gripes about ‘intentional misinformation’? Fox paid that for voter fraud fairy tales they knew were bunk.” Townhall cheered Greg’s Tarlov takedown as “hurling her into the sun,” while Crooks and Liars branded him a “lying asshole” for ignoring Hortman’s humanity. X is a battlefield: #SuspendGutfeld trends with 1.8M posts, split between MAGA memes (“Newsom’s triggered tantrum!”) and blue-check blasts (“Greg’s the bully Fox deserves – cancel culture for conservatives?”). Even YouTube’s a yell-fest, with “Liberal Burst into Tears as Gutfeld Ends Her Career” racking 500K views – clickbait gold or grudge match garbage?

What’s the broader beef? This ain’t isolated – it’s late-night’s last gasp in a Trump 2.0 takedown. Kimmel’s canned for Kirk “politicizing,” Colbert’s show sunsetted amid sagging scores, and now Gutfeld’s in the crosshairs as Fox’s free-speech fortress. Newsom’s play? Political payback, say skeptics: California’s crime crisis and budget black hole have his approval tanking to 42%, per PPIC polls – nothing distracts like demonizing a Fox foe. Gutfeld’s glow-up? From Comedy Central curmudgeon to conservative cash cow, pulling 2.5 million viewers nightly while Kimmel craters to 1.2M. But whispers from the water cooler: Advertisers like Disney (irony!) are eyeing exits if the FCC flames flicker, and Tarlov’s tears have sparked a “save Jessica” petition with 100K sigs.

As the weekend war wages – Gutfeld guest-hosting Hannity Saturday, Newsom stumping in Sacramento – one thing’s crystal: Fox’s funny man is fighting for his funny bone. Will Lachlan Murdoch muzzle the mouth, or let Greg guffaw on? Is this the spark that scorches late-night forever, or just Gavin’s gaseous gripe? For Tarlov, a tough-titty tutorial in table talk; for Gutfeld, a badge of badassery. In the end, darlings, truth’s the first casualty – but ratings? They’ll roar. Tune in, or tune out – the remote’s revolution is riveting!