Fox News' Greg Gutfeld's Punchline About Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 'Behind' Falls Flat With Co-Hosts

Fox News host Greg Gutfeld's comment regarding New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the Monday, July 20, broadcast of The Five was met with absolute silence from co-hosts. The remark followed a segment in which Gutfeld mocked Ocasio-Cortez's speech at a Memphis rally for Tennessee Democrat Rep. Justin Pearson.

“We cannot afford to leave Tennessee behind,” the popular progressive said in the speech, in which panelists mocked AOC for allegedly speaking in a faux-Southern accent. “We cannot afford to leave Kentucky behind, Alabama behind, Mississippi behind, Georgia behind, South Carolina behind.”

Fox’s weekend co-host Charlie Hurt dubbed her a “faker,” saying, “I think that she is going to be the Democrat nominee because that’s where all of the energy is. And that’s exactly as far as she’ll get. She will not get any further because of exactly this, because at the end of the day, she’s a faker.”

Gutfeld interjected, saying sarcastically, “I think she’s an absolute genius. I want to read that quote again. I’m going to tell you why. OK? ‘We cannot afford to leave Tennessee behind, Kentucky behind, Alabama behind, Mississippi behind, Georgia behind, South Carolina behind.’ She mentions behind six times, and all I’m thinking about is her behind.”

Hoping for laughs or agreement, the host was met with awkward silence before doubling down on his comments.

“Look, I don’t know what she believes in, so I looked it up. Apparently, her issues are with the Green New Deal. Remember that? Medicare for all, affordable housing, economic justice, criminal justice reform. So, I wanted to look up debates where she debated these topics, as you said. She’s only appeared in town halls, which is usually curated, campaign events, Congressional hearings where she gets to pose the questions. But there’s never a point where anyone asks her about the data or the outcomes, like nobody asks her about the the Amazon thing or how would this work?” he asked.

Interviewers frequently press her on how programs like Medicare for All or the Green New Deal will be funded. In response, she typically points to shifting existing budgets, closing tax loopholes, reducing administrative waste and implementing higher taxes on corporations and high-income earners.

“No one has ever asked her like, ‘Okay, when you close the jails’ — it’s a really simple question — ‘what happens to the criminals? What happens to the victims? You oppose family separations of illegals, but what happens when the adult has to go to jail? How do you convince landlords to rent when you oppose evictions and background checks? How do you explain these things?’ She’s never had to explain anything, which is why almost everything she says isn’t memorable except for when she mentions her behind six times,” he concluded.

For specific legislation, such as the Green New Deal for Public Housing, AOC's office releases detailed frameworks, cost estimates, and legislative text outlining the planned transitions and job-creation metrics.

Gutfeld has faced widespread public criticism and media backlash for making remarks that have been widely described as sexist, misogynistic, or degrading to women.

During a 2023 broadcast of The Five, Gutfeld suggested that many of the world's problems — specifically large-scale retail theft and rampant recidivism — would "disappear" if all women took a week off and went to Venus.

He also joked that his former tough-on-crime female co-host, Jeanine Pirro, "thinks like a dude.” This rant was heavily condemned by critics as a glaring example of sexism in conservative media.