Jessica Tarlov, the Democratic Party strategist and cohost of Fox News’ ‘The Five,’ has signed a new three-year contract to continue her role on the show, according to a recent interview with Marie Claire. Tarlov is the sole liberal voice among the panelists, who include Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, and Emily Compagno.

Maintaining Friendships Amidst Heated Debates

Despite the frequent heated debates on the show, Tarlov said she maintains close friendships with her conservative cohosts. She described the new contract as an affirmation of her role in the discourse, stating, ‘No matter how contentious it looks or difficult or terrible to some people, that you’re a valued element in this discourse.’

Episodes often get heated, with Tarlov having to fend off multiple arguments at once. She said she usually gets about 90 seconds to respond, so she has to be precise. Sometimes she’ll open with a quip, like telling Watters he could be a better White House spokesperson than the actual press secretary.

Personal Connections Beyond the Set

Tarlov called this tactic her ‘olive branch,’ a compliment disguised as a dig that might soften things so she can get her points across without being interrupted. She explained, ‘If I’m going to get 90 seconds, I want to make the most of it.’

Despite how contentious the show often gets, Tarlov described her fellow panelists as friends, and not just the women but the men too. ‘Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld actually care about me as a person,’ she revealed. ‘And that doesn’t make them soften their political opinions, even though I think that they should in some cases, especially when they’re enormously wrong.’

Those friendships extend beyond the workplace. Tarlov revealed how she and Gutfeld regularly text throughout the week, and she’s even been to his apartment and his daughter’s first birthday party. She also texts with Watters’ wife, Emma DiGiovine, and recently went out for dinner and a Broadway play with Perino and Compagno.

Emotional Reflections and Personal Struggles

As for how she can maintain those friendships despite such differing politics, Tarlov explained, ‘[It’s about] fundamentally understanding them as people and how they think about politics,’ as opposed to seeing them as ‘a set of political opinions.’ She said that over time, she’s realized that some of her cohosts, ‘in particular Jesse and Greg, don’t think that politics is the most important thing in the world.’

Tarlov also opened up about how she cries a lot, especially when reflecting on her father, who died from a 9/11-related cancer when she was pregnant with her first child, Cleo. She said that she once cried about him on air and her cohosts took it easy on her that day.

‘There was great relief and also discomfort,’ she said, ‘because I had gotten to the point where it had to be addressed almost, when you’re walking around with something that’s so bottled up. …No one wants anyone to be looking at them while they’re crying. I’m also a very ugly crier, so I didn’t want that to be going on for too long.’