Dan Bongino Undergoes Surgery
Dan Bongino Undergoes Surgery, Thanks Fans for ‘Prayers’
Podcaster Dan Bongino thanked followers for their support as he recovers from surgery that left him briefly hospitalized.
Bongino, who is also a regular contributor to Fox News, added messages to his social media accounts, according to a Conservative Brief report.
“Doing okay! Out of surgery and the doc did a massive clean up operation on my elbow,” Bongino announced. “Thanks for all of your prayers and messages. I really appreciate it.”
Earlier this month, Bongino learned his Fox show ruled the ratings, according to an Ad Week report that his Saturday night show was the most-watched primetime cable news show.
Bongino’s 9 p.m. show racked up 1.19 million viewers, Ad Week revealed, which was five times more than CNN and four times MSNBC.
MSNBC attracted 315,000 in its 9 p.m. slot with a comparable offering but CNN only drew 219,000 during the same 9 p.m. time slot occupied by Bongino.
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade received 1.06 million total viewers for his 8 p.m. program. It is only slightly less than Bongino’s draw but still substantially larger than the competition. CNN managed 282,000 total viewers and MSNBC had 282,000 eyeballs watching in that same slot.
Despite his stratospheric ratings, Bongino announced late last year he would not renew his contract with Cumulus Media’s Westwood One when it expired. Not renewing his contract signals the end of his nationally syndicated radio program.
On an episode of his independent podcast, Bongino explained the decision to walk away “really sucks because I spent a lot of time building this, and I love it, and it’s grown on me.”
The company approached Bongino after industry giant Rush Limbaugh died following a battle with lung cancer in 2021 and asked him to take over the time slot, the report noted. Bongino said he did not feel, at the time, he could fill Limbaugh’s huge shoes.
“I said, ‘No, I don’t want it,’” Bongino explained before adding he reconsidered after he thought back to Limbaugh’s last broadcast.
“And I changed my mind. I said, ‘You know what? I’ll take it, but for a limited amount of time,’” he explained.
Fox News will likely continue to dominate cable news after Bongino’s departure. In addition to Kilmeade’s stellar ratings, an unexpected Fox personality has rocketed to the top.
Fox News personality Greg Gutfeld, cohosts “The Five,” which was ranked by Nielsen as the top show in cable news. Gutgeld also hosts his own show “Gutfeld,” and the ratings for that show are also making Fox executives happy. “Gutfeld” averaged 2.1 million viewers during 2022, according to Nielsen Media Research as reported by the Washington Times.
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