A familiar face on one of cable television’s most-watched programs has temporarily disappeared from the studio following a very public attack from President Donald Trump.
The timing quickly attracted attention, although the reason for her absence appears to have nothing to do with the president’s criticism or her future at the network.
Advertisement
Fox News liberal commentator Jessica Tarlov stepped away from “The Five” for a tropical vacation in Hawaii shortly after Trump blasted her in a Truth Social post.
“I can’t stand Jessica Tarlov of THE FIVE,” Trump wrote. “A real loser!”
Trump’s attack followed comments from Tarlov during an episode of “The Five” in which she argued that stronger gun-control laws could potentially prevent some future mass shootings.
Advertisement
Tarlov acknowledged that legislation could never completely eliminate violent people or prevent every attack.
“You will never be able to stop all of the lunatics,” Tarlov said.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Tarlov over her liberal commentary despite her position on a network populated by some of the president’s most prominent supporters in cable news.
Advertisement
Tarlov serves as one of the rotating liberal voices on “The Five,” regularly putting her opposite conservative co-hosts including Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro.
That role frequently produces contentious exchanges, including recent arguments between Tarlov and Gutfeld in which the two talked over each other as their political disagreements intensified.
Trump’s latest criticism added another powerful voice to the list of conservatives who regularly take issue with Tarlov’s arguments.
But anyone wondering whether her disappearance from television immediately following Trump’s attack represented something more significant appears to have a much simpler explanation.
Tarlov, 42, traveled to Lanai, Hawaii, with her husband, hedge fund executive Brian McKenna, to attend a friend’s wedding.
She shared photographs from the trip on Instagram over the weekend showing the couple enjoying their time away from Washington’s political battles and cable-news arguments.
“Quick getaway to the most beautiful place on earth with my favorite guy,” Tarlov wrote alongside the photographs.
One image showed Tarlov wearing a green-and-white striped midi dress featuring a banana-leaf pattern as she posed alongside McKenna against a tropical backdrop.
Another showed the couple making faces at the camera, while a video included in the post captured them swimming near a waterfall.
Advertisement
Tarlov and McKenna have been married since May 2021.
The vacation comes as Trump’s occasional frustrations with Fox News continue to spill into public view despite his generally close relationship with many of the network’s conservative personalities.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Fox polling he considers inaccurate or unfair and has criticized individual commentators when he believes their coverage or analysis works against him.
Tarlov’s job practically guarantees that she will occasionally find herself in that position.
Advertisement
As one of the program’s liberal panelists, she is tasked with defending Democratic positions and challenging conservative arguments before an audience containing a substantial number of Trump supporters.
That has made Tarlov a frequent target of criticism from MAGA viewers who disagree with her political commentary.
Trump himself has now made his opinion unmistakably clear with his declaration that he “can’t stand” the Fox personality.
The president’s criticism and Tarlov’s subsequent absence could easily create the impression of a larger shakeup at Fox, particularly as viewers have recently noticed other prominent personalities taking time away from their programs.
But there is currently no indication that Tarlov’s trip is connected to Trump’s criticism or that she is planning to leave Fox News.
Advertisement
Instead, her social media posts indicate she simply took some personal time away to attend the wedding and vacation with her husband.
That means Trump’s latest Fox News target is expected to eventually return to the same seat that has made her one of the network’s most recognizable liberal commentators, Trending Politics reported.
For the moment, however, Tarlov has traded arguments with Trump supporters and her fellow “The Five” panelists for beaches, waterfalls and a Hawaiian getaway.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
