Since launching on January 18 as Fox News Primetime, the network’s 7 p.m. hour has cycled through seven hosts, one per week, as it looks to make a decision on a permanent host of the program.
Fox News contributor Lawrence Jones was the seventh (and presumably final) candidate to earn a tryout as host of Fox News Primetime, fronting the program last week. Republican congressman-turned-Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy will host the 7 p.m. hour this week for the second time.
Gowdy is the first repeat host of Fox News Primetime, which, in theory, should make him a frontrunner for the permanent gig. Gowdy just so happened to average a larger total audience when he hosted the hour than any other fill-in host has so far.
Brian Kilmeade, who hosted opening week, averaged the largest adults 25-54 audience of any host so far.
We did not receive an answer from Fox News when we asked what the network will factor into the permanent 7 p.m. host decision, but it would be naïve to think ratings won’t play a role in determining who ends up getting the coveted gig.
Here are the ratings for each Fox News Primetime candidate.
| Net | Week | Host Name | P2+ Imps (000) | Adults 25-54 (000) | #TC |
| FNC | 1/18/21 | Brian Kilmeade | 1.960 | 347 | 5 |
| FNC | 1/25/21 | Maria Bartiromo | 1.877 | 305 | 5 |
| FNC | 2/1/21 | Trey Gowdy | 1.988 | 307 | 5 |
| FNC | 2/8 | Mark Steyn | 1.759 | 245 | 5 |
| FNC | 2/15 | Rachel Campos-Duffy | 1.728 | 269 | 5 |
| FNC | 2/22 | Katie Pavlich | 1.647 | 252 | 5 |
| FNC | 3/1 | Lawrence Jones | 1.713 | 276 | 5 |
Nielsen live-plus-same-day data through March 5, 2021