Eric Bolling says there’s one way he and his Fox News New Year’s Eve co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle can top CNN’s New Year’s duo of Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin.
“Let’s put it this way, if Kathy takes off her top, I may have to take my top off as well,” Bolling told TVNewser during an interview Wednesday. “We’ll see what happens.”
“Our Bolling is better than their Kathy, especially with his tan!” Guilfoyle joked.
This will be the second year Bolling and Guilfoyle have teamed up for FNC’s special. Both are original co-hosts of The Five, which celebrated its fifth anniversary over the summer.
“Eric and I are like brother and sister, we text throughout the day,” said Guilfoyle. “Same with Greg (Gutfeld) and Dana (Perino). Juan (Williams) is such a good sport, and he puts up with a lot of our craziness.”
“The ratings have been great this year,” Bolling said. “But we have also become a family over time. It’s gotten to the point where we can each finish each other’s sentences. When you watch us, it’s like watching a fun dinner table conversation and we have a ton of laughs.”
“I believe the ‘family’ aspect is a key ingredient for our success,” Guilfoyle added. “People love it when they come to watch us in studio. They always comment on the chemistry, how much fun we seem to be having and how well we get along.”
The Fox News family saw a serious schism over the summer when network CEO and co-founder Roger Ailes was forced out. Company chairman Rupert Murdoch put himself in charge.
“Fox News has remained Fox News, even after the transition, and we’ll still be the fair and balanced place you can go to consume your news,” Bolling said. “Rupert has been great, and we haven’t lost a beat.”
“Talent has felt really supported, which is wonderful,” said Guilfoyle. “Mr. Murdoch comes into the studio quite often and has been really friendly. I think he’s very enthusiastic about the future and the direction of the company, as are his sons Lachlan and James. This has been a very good atmosphere for everybody to grow and take it to the next level.”
Bolling, a team player since his days as a minor league baseball player, has also been doing double duty pinch hitting for Bill O’Reilly this week. “I’m just so fortunate to have that seat,” said Bolling. “These shows, Hannity, O’Reilly, are just so well-produced. I go there, and I give my input, but it’s a really tight-run ship. I trust the producers.”
As for Saturday night’s special, Bolling says the show will “take a look forward to 2017, and highlight all of the fun things we experienced in 2016. Kimberly and I will also be going into the crowd this year with a couple of camera crews, walk around and talk to the revelers and see what’s on their minds.”
“In previous years, we have gone into the crowd to meet with people before the telecast began,” Guilfoyle said. “Last year, we saw Vanilla Ice and Jenny McCarthy. We also met a lot of military and police officers, many of whom said that they enjoy The Five. I feel like being in Times Square on New Year’s Eve is on everyone’s bucket list, and we truly have a great time.”
Fox News All-American New Year airs on Saturday night from 11 p.m. – 1 a.m. ET live from Times Square, New York. Jesse Watters and Kennedy kick off the pregame coverage at 8 p.m. ET.