Fox News lands licensing deal with popular 'Ruthless' podcast as part of expansion into new media
"The FOX News Media ecosystem we have built over the past seven years continues to thrive and set new records, and the 'Ruthless' deal is a natural extension of our powerhouse brand as audiences reshape how they consume quality content," FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement Tuesday.
"We have cultivated an unrivaled bench of successful personalities who are well-positioned to excel in today's evolving media landscape, where podcasting offers the kind of deep engagement our platforms are known for."
Fox News Digital President and Editor-in-Chief Porter Berry will be expanding his role to oversee the new media venture.
"Porter is a talented executive whose leadership will enhance these new media ventures and creators, while further strengthening FOX News Digital," Scott said.
"I am honored to step into the New Media role and advance Suzanne's bold vision across digital, social, and podcasting," Berry said. "As the creator economy continues to evolve — a spirit that 'Ruthless' has championed from the start — we are expanding our reach to meet audiences wherever they engage with FOX News Media content, which remains in a league of its own."
The "Ruthless" co-hosts said in a joint statement, "We are thrilled to take 'Ruthless' to the next level through this strategic partnership. There is a growing appetite for authentic political and cultural conversations, and our podcast delivers with no-holds-barred, irreverent takes that deeply resonate with our dedicated audience."
What began as a tiny audio podcast has become one of the most iconic conservative brands in the digital age.
"Ruthless" was launched in October 2020 by Republican strategist Josh Holmes and the internet personality known as Comfortably Smug with the mission of bringing fun to conservative politics. Liberals were immediately incensed by its name as "Ruthless" made its debut just days after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
"We felt like there was a real hole in the conservative media landscape for people who enjoy politics, but want to have fun while doing it. They want to know what's really going on, but could do without the ideological lecture," Holmes told Fox News Digital at the time of the launch.
Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook, who worked alongside Holmes in their day jobs at their consulting firm Calvary, would later join "Ruthless" as co-hosts, rounding out the personalities on the "variety progrum."
"Ruthless" has since become a must-stop for GOP lawmakers, congressional candidates, and presidential hopefuls.
The hosts set up shop outside Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the first GOP presidential debate in August 2023 and the RNC convention in July 2024, providing NFL-style event coverage. In October 2024, they were later joined by future Vice President J.D. Vance for a special fishing trip competition.
In addition to tackling the news of the day and hot-button discussions among Republicans, which the hosts often refer to as giving the audience their "vegetables," they also provide plenty of "candy" whether it's in the form of animal news and debates over what's the largest animal they think they can kill with their bare hands, their takedowns of the liberal media, or playing their signature games.
Those include "Dem or Journo," where the hosts have to guess which of four social media posts was written by a Democratic operative versus members of the media, and "Veep or Veep," the Biden-era challenge of deciphering whether a quote came from then-Vice President Kamala Harris or the fictitious Selina Meyer played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus on HBO's "Veep."
Perhaps the most high-stakes game is their weekly "King of the Hill," where two hosts compete over which "Never Trump" pundit of their choosing has the most wild hot takes posted on social media in the past week.
They've also taken fun to X with their annual NCAA-style Liberal Hack Tournament (or #HackMadness). "Ruthless" listeners fill out brackets of 64 liberal media figures and vote in polls conducted by Smug on who they think is the biggest hack.
The "Ruthless" co-hosts have sought to bridge the divide among conservatives between the more traditional, establishment Republicans and the MAGA base. Holmes, Duncan and Ashbrook are all veteran staffers of outgoing Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., while Smug cultivated his following on the online right.
But perhaps at the center of the podcast's growing audience is the trust the co-hosts have earned from their listeners. Holmes, Smug, Duncan and Ashbrook aren't afraid to discuss hard truths for conservatives over the years, from tackling Trump's defeat in the 2020 election to the underwhelming 2022 midterm results for Republicans. They also provide insight from their experience on Capitol Hill to explain the complexities of legislation, most recently the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Politico dubbed "Ruthless" stars the "bad boys of conservative talk" with many outlets declaring the podcast the right's answer to "Pod Save America," the influential left-wing podcast hosted by former Obama aides and speechwriters often referred to as "Obama Bros."
A recent poll conducted by National Research, Inc. found that "Ruthless" is a top news source among men ages 18-45.
The influence of "Ruthless" reached all the way to the White House as Ashbrook was among the first to sit in the "new media" seat established by the Trump administration for the White House press briefing, which wasn't to the elite media's liking.
"I've interacted with a lot of these same reporters as a press secretary back in the day. So, when I walked into the room, I saw a lot of eye rolls and a lot of smirks and that is exactly what I was hoping for," Ashbrook told Fox News' Will Cain in January.
Smug signs off every podcast by telling listeners," "Keep the faith, hold the line, and own the libs… Stay ruthless."
New episodes of "Ruthless" are released every Tuesday and Thursday on all podcast platforms and YouTube.
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