In addition to being a popular talk host and Fox News personality, Dan Bongino has met a flurry of medical issues in the last decade. From physical injuries to cancer to reconstructive surgery, Bongino has come through multiple surgeries with flying colors and recently added another to the list.
The addressing of so many physical issues may have been a factor when late last year when he took time out on his nationally syndicated radio program to announce that he won’t renew his contract with Cumulus Media’s Westwood One when it comes due, effectively ending his show. Bongino, who also has a podcast independent of the radio show, explained that the decision to walk away “really sucks because I spent a lot of time building this, and I love it, and it’s grown on me.”
He also told listeners that the company approached him after industry giant Rush Limbaugh died following a battle with lung cancer in 2021 and asked him to take over the time slot. At the time, he said he did not feel like he could fill Limbaugh’s shoes. “I said, ‘No, I don’t want it,’” Bongino recalled, but then added he reconsidered after he thought back to what became Limbaugh’s final broadcast. “And I changed my mind. I said, ‘You know what? I’ll take it, but for a limited amount of time,’” he explained.
Now, after the most recent of surgeries, this time on his elbow, Bongino is bouncing back with messages to fans and jumping into commentary on social media.
Bongino posted a thank you to his social media pages following a surgical procedure that left him hospitalized for a short period. “Doing okay! Out of surgery and the doc did a massive clean-up operation on my elbow. Thanks for all of your prayers and messages. I really appreciate it,” the former Secret Service agent and NYPD officer noted.
Bongino had undergone surgery for a tumor on his neck in October 2020 which led to a further diagnosis. He has had surgeries since 2015 for physical injuries. Yesterday, Bongino shared a picture on social media after surgery, and immediately took to Twitter to pick up making comments on current events.
Through it all, Bongino has remained a huge success on Fox News. Earlier this month it was revealed that Bongino’s Fox show reigned supreme in the ratings. A report from Ad Week found that his Saturday night show was the most-watched primetime show in all of cable news. In the 9 p.m. ET time slot, Bongino racked up 1.19 million total viewers. In the same time slot, CNN had 219,000, and MSNBC secured 315,000 total viewers. In the 8 p.m. ET time slot, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade received 1.06 million total viewers. CNN secured 282,000 total viewers, and MSNBC has 282,000 in that same slot.
Bongino is not the only successful host on Fox News, as Conservative Brief reports:
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld also received fantastic news this week after his show “Gutfeld!” has ruled late-night television, averaging 2.1 million viewers through 2022, Nielsen Media Research showed, the Washington Times reported. “The size of that viewing audience bests both NBC’s ‘The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon’ and ABC’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ and also consistently trumps such cable rivals as Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’ and HBO’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ and ‘Real Time With Bill Maher,’” the report said.
Vox, known to be more of a liberal news organization, opined that “The biggest comedy show on late-night right now is not on ABC or NBC or CBS or Fox. It’s not on Comedy Central. It’s certainly not streaming. It’s on Fox News, and its name is ‘Gutfeld!’”
CNN is reportedly working on its own late-night show to compete with Gutfeld, examining more progressive candidates for the job. “Brass at the famously progressive news network have reportedly floated names such as Bill Maher, Trevor Noah, Arsenio Hall, and Jon Stewart as candidates to offer a nontraditional, late night-esque take on the day’s news. Fox News has found success with ‘Gutfeld!,’ the late-night comedy show hosted by Greg Gutfeld,” the Daily Mail said.
But Gutfeld has been a ratings champion for Fox News with “The Five,” a show he cohosts, as the top show in cable news, Nielsen said.
In January, it was reported that popular host Shannon Bream, who took over “Fox News Sunday” after Chris Wallace left the network, has increased the show’s ratings. Her show was the only Sunday news show to increase its audience in the important and wealthy 25-54-year-old demographic. The ratings have increased by 13%, and in the 18-49 demographic, the audience has grown by 16% over Wallace’s last show. “It’s been an honor to join the tradition of Fox News Sunday, and we’re all about bringing new people to join us in the conversation,” she said to Washington Secrets. “It’s a privilege to be in folks’ homes every Sunday, and we’re glad they’ve found reasons to keep coming back,” she added.
