She is the new permanent member! Who did Emily Compagno replace on The Five? – The answer

Fox News has officially filled the permanent seat on The Five that had remained open for more than a year.

Emily Compagno was announced as the program’s newest permanent co-host on August 24. She will make her official debut in the role on September 8.

Compagno is taking over the seat previously held by Jeanine Pirro, who left The Five in May 2025 after accepting a new position outside the network.

Fox News personalities had rotated through the vacant place at the table for more than 15 months, with Compagno appearing among them before ultimately receiving the permanent position.

Jeanine Pirro’s departure created the opening

Pirro left The Five after President Donald Trump announced on May 8, 2025, that she would become interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

Fox News confirmed that her departure from the network took effect immediately. Pirro was sworn in the following week, with a ceremonial White House swearing-in taking place on May 28.

Trump formally nominated her for the permanent position on June 17. The Senate confirmed her in August 2025 by a vote of 50–45, and she has remained in the role.

Pirro had spent more than a decade at Fox News. Before joining The Five for approximately three years, she hosted Justice with Judge Jeanine.

Her move into public service left Fox News with a significant opening on its most-watched cable news program.

Compagno receives a permanent place at the table

Compagno had already built a visible presence across Fox News before receiving her new assignment. She joined the network as a contributor in 2018 and became a co-host of Outnumbered in 2021.

Her appointment to The Five means she will leave Outnumbered. Fox News said a rotation of network personalities will occupy her former midday seat until a permanent successor is selected.

Compagno said she was grateful to join a team she had admired and worked alongside over the years.

“I couldn’t be more honored to join The Five, a team I have long admired and have been fortunate to work alongside over the years,” she said.

She described receiving an official seat on what she considers “the most fun show on television” as an “incredible privilege,” adding that she could not wait to begin.

Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott also welcomed Compagno to the program, saying her “energy and talent” had made her stand out across the network.

The established panel Compagno will join

Compagno will appear alongside longtime co-hosts Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino and Jesse Watters. The remaining seat is shared by rotating hosts Harold Ford Jr. and Jessica Tarlov.

The Five launched in 2011 and celebrated its 15th anniversary in July. According to the figures included in the announcement, it has remained cable news’ most-watched program for 19 consecutive quarters.

The show averaged 3.6 million viewers during the second quarter of 2026, including 322,000 viewers in the 25-to-54 demographic.

Compagno’s appointment completes a major transition for the program by permanently filling the position Pirro vacated more than a year earlier.

A career extending beyond television

Before joining Fox News, Compagno worked in criminal defense and civil litigation. She later served as a federal managing attorney and acting director at the Social Security Administration.

She was also a senior judicial extern for the late Judge John T. Noonan Jr. at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Outside her legal career, Compagno captained the Oakland Raiders cheerleading squad and worked as an NFL ambassador.

Her 2024 book, Under His Wings: How Faith on the Front Lines Has Protected American Troops, became a New York Times bestseller. The book features first-person accounts from American service members discussing the role of faith in combat, covering conflicts from World War I through more recent military operations in the Middle East.

Compagno now moves from her position on Outnumbered to a permanent role on Fox News’ highest-rated program, officially succeeding Pirro at one of the network’s most recognizable tables.