| Fox & Friends First | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
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| Presented by |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 12 |
| Production | |
| Production location | New York City |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Fox News |
| Release | March 5, 2012 (2012-03-05) – present |
Fox & Friends First is abreakfast television show onFox News. It airs every weekday from 5-6 a.m. EST. The hour-long program hosted by Carley Shimkus and Todd Piro serves as a pre-show to the network's flagship morning showFox & Friends.
The current incarnation of the show debuted on March 5, 2012, withHeather Childers andAinsley Earhardt as the original hosts of the show.
Current
Former
The show devotes to new developments of the latest overnight headlines and/or continuous coverage of breaking news. Due to the nature and time of the show, guests rarely appear, so it focuses more on updates of news stories with correspondents, analysis from the hosts, and politics.
WhenFox and Friends First launched in March 2012, the show's executive producer, Lauren Petterson, described the show toFox News Insider this way: "Think ofFox and Friends First likeFox and Friends on steroids. It will include all of the things you love aboutFox and Friends – at warp speed. A cheat sheet, if you will, to all the day's big stories…"
In 2001,Fox & Friends, which aired from 7:00 am to 9:00 amEastern Time Zone, was expanded by an hour to start at 6:00 am.[6] The new hour was brandedFox & Friends First and was co-anchored byAlisyn Camerota.[7] In July 2008, the 6:00 am hour was replaced by a third hour ofFox & Friends, and Camerota was named permanent anchor of the weekend edition ofFox & Friends.[7]
In June 2011, rival cable news channelCNN began programming in the 5:00 am hour, with a one-hour extension ofAmerican Morning titledWake Up Call,[8] which was replaced in January 2012 followingAmerican Morning's cancellation by the two-hourEarly Start.[9]MSNBC already had started its news programming at that hour with two half-hour shows:Morning Joe First Look, a general news program which had aired since the mid-2000s, andWay Too Early (which leads intoMorning Joe), which debuted in July 2009.[10] In March 2012, Fox News confirmed that it was expanding its morning programming to begin at 5:00 am.[6] The new one-hour show was namedFox & Friends First and serves as a lead-in toFox & Friends.[11] It debuted on March 5, 2012.[12][13]
In its first week on the air,Fox & Friends First averaged more total viewers than other programs at CNN and MSNBC in the same time slot combined.[14]
In October 2017, Fox News announced that the show will be expanded to two hours from 4:00 am to 6:00 am. The 4:00 am hour would be anchored solely byHeather Childers, andJillian Mele andRob Schmitt would present the 5:00 am hour.[15] In July 2020, Childers had parted ways with Fox News after executives had expressed concern and anger about her coming to work and appearing visibly ill on air several months earlier during the wake of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[16] In 2021, Jillian Mele was replaced by Carley Shimkus as a co-anchor.[17]
In June 2023, Fox News announced that the show would be ending its 4am EST hour and only broadcasting from 5–6am EST with Shimkus and Piro remaining as co-hosts.[18]
Fox & Friends First is broadcast from Studio J at 1211 Avenue of the Americas (also known as the News Corp. Building), New York City. On March 19, 2018, Fox & Friends First has relocated to Studio D from its original location in Studio J for construction. The team moved back to Studio J on June 19, 2018.[19]
| Preceded by Sunday Night in America w/Trey Gowdy (replay) Monday Gutfeld! (replay) Tuesday—Friday | Fox & Friends First 5:00 am – 6:00 am ET | Succeeded by |
