If you follow the digital whispers and partisan dispatches of social media, you’d be forgiven for believing that cable news juggernaut The Five is in the midst of a seismic, cast-clearing catastrophe.

The rumors are sensational, specific, and spreading like wildfire: Jessica Tarlov, the show’s primary liberal voice, is allegedly out. Sandra Smith, the steely anchor of America Reports, is supposedly “in.” And Johnny “Joey” Jones, the fan-favorite Marine veteran, is finally getting a permanent seat at the table. It’s a stunning story, a network-defining shakeup that would fundamentally alter the chemistry of the most-watched show on cable.

There’s just one problem. It isn’t true.

The reality of the moves at Fox News’s flagship panel is far more complex, and in many ways more fascinating, than the fan-fiction suggests. The speculation is rampant, but the facts tell a different story—one of strategic promotions, persistent rumors fueled by wishful thinking, and an actual high-profile departure from the show in 2025 that the rumor mill seems to have completely missed.

So, let’s turn down the noise, look at the facts, and set the record straight on what is really going on at the world-famous roundtable.

The Myth: “Jessica Tarlov Is Out”

The most explosive part of the rumor is, without a doubt, the ousting of Jessica Tarlov. Since taking over the “liberal seat” in 2022 (rotating with Harold Ford Jr.), Tarlov has become a political lightning rod. She is, by design, the panel’s primary antagonist. Her daily debates with co-hosts Greg Gutfeld and Jesse Watters are the show’s bread and butter, generating the very conflict and viral clips that keep its ratings in the stratosphere.

It is precisely because she is so effective at this job—arguing her points forcefully and often finding herself on the receiving end of a 4-on-1 pile-on—that the rumors of her demise are so persistent. A large segment of the show’s conservative audience actively roots for her to be fired, filling social media threads with demands for her removal after every heated exchange.

But the network’s actions tell a different story. Fox News has given zero indication that Tarlov is going anywhere. Just last month, in October 2024, Tarlov gave an interview discussing her specific goals at Fox News, framing her role as a strategic one. Her position on the “most-watched show” is a massive platform, and she knows it.

Furthermore, the “shakeup” narrative misunderstands her role. Tarlov was never a sole permanent host; she has always rotated the liberal seat with Harold Ford Jr. Her occasional absences, which fans often cite as “proof” of her firing, are simply part of that built-in rotation. The “Tarlov Out” rumor, it seems, is little more than partisan wish-casting, a persistent ghost story that refuses to die precisely because she so effectively needles her ideological opponents.

The Misdirection: “Sandra Smith Is In”

The second part of the rumor—that America Reports anchor Sandra Smith would take a permanent seat—is a classic case of mistaken identity and fantasy booking.

Smith is one of the network’s most prominent “hard news” anchors. She has, in the past, served as a guest-host on The Five, as have many other Fox News personalities. These guest spots are often where such rumors are born. Viewers see a new face, enjoy the different dynamic, and begin speculating.

But a guest spot is not an audition. Smith’s role as co-anchor of a two-hour daytime news broadcast is a demanding, high-profile position. Moving her from that anchor chair to an opinion-based panel would be a massive career shift, and one for which there is absolutely no factual basis. Her name being attached to this rumor appears to be a simple case of viewers confusing one prominent network star with another, or perhaps just “dream-casting” a host they’d prefer to see. There is simply no evidence, from the network or from Smith herself, to suggest this move is even a remote possibility.

The Half-Truth: “Johnny Joey Jones Joins the Table”

This is where the rumor gets clever—and where it finds its kernel of truth. The speculation about Johnny “Joey” Jones is, in fact, based on a real and recent promotion. The rumor mill just got the show wrong.

Jones, a combat-wounded veteran and network contributor, is undeniably a massive fan favorite. His commentary is charismatic, grounded, and consistently popular with the Fox News audience. He has been a frequent and successful rotating host on The Five, filling the “rotating conservative” seat.

Fans, seeing his popularity, have long clamored for him to be made permanent. In September 2025, the network did announce a major promotion for Jones. He was officially named a new, permanent co-host of… The Big Weekend Show.

This is the source of the confusion. Jones did get a permanent co-hosting gig, a major and well-deserved promotion that solidifies his star power at the network. But his new home is the weekend lineup, not the weekday powerhouse. This move, in fact, makes him less likely to take a permanent weekday seat on The Five, as he is now anchoring his own weekend ensemble. The rumor was based on a real event, but the details were twisted to fit the more sensational narrative.

The Real Shakeup: The Departure Everyone Forgot

The irony in all this manufactured drama is that The Five actually did experience a massive, permanent casting shakeup in 2025. The panel’s dynamics were fundamentally altered by a high-profile exit, but it wasn’t Tarlov.

It was Judge Jeanine Pirro.

On May 8, 2025, Pirro—who had been a permanent co-host since January 2022—left the show. Her departure wasn’t the result of a network feud or a ratings drop, but a call to public service. She was tapped by the Trump administration to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

This was the real shakeup. Pirro’s exit left a permanent conservative seat vacant, a power vacuum that the network has since been filling with its deep bench of rotating guest hosts—including Johnny Joey Jones, Dagen McDowell, Katie Pavlich, and others.

It is likely this very vacancy, and the subsequent rotation of popular faces, that has fueled the rampant speculation. Viewers see an open chair and begin to speculate on who will fill it. But the network’s strategy appears clear: why choose one, when the rotation itself is working so well?

The Five remains the undisputed king of cable news, a ratings behemoth that has rewritten the rules of television. Its success is built on that very roundtable chemistry, and the network is notoriously protective of its golden goose. The rumors of its dramatic implosion are a testament to its cultural power; audiences are so invested in the show’s “family” dynamic that any perceived change feels personal.

But the truth is, the show isn’t in turmoil. It is operating exactly as designed: a stable core of Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, and Dana Perino, supported by a rotating cast of liberal and conservative voices that keep the conversation fresh, unpredictable, and, above all, impossible to ignore.