Jessica Tarlov knows what it’s like to be the “odd woman out.” That’s what the political strategist and lone liberal voice on Fox News’ The Five told Katie on a recent episode of Next Question.

Since 2022, Tarlov has been a co-host on the network’s most popular talk show, so she’s no stranger to navigating tricky, often highly contentious political debates with poise. She’s built a reputation as someone who can stand her ground and convey her points without stooping to personal attacks and invective — a rare quality in today’s politically polarized world. Tarlov says that’s a skill she’s honed over years of hard-won experience.

“I’ve been at Fox my entire media career. So I don’t know anything different,” she tells us. “And I think it’s prepared me for those more difficult conversations.”

She also believes part of The Five’s enduring appeal — and what sets it apart from so many other cable programs — is its sense of levity: “So much political commentary right now is harmful to your mental well-being, and enraging.”

“We seem to have effectively replicated what a lot of people know in their real lives,” says Tarlov, “where you have your family at Thanksgiving and a table of people who might be predominantly conservative — but Aunt Jessica is invited, and she’s really pissed that Kamala lost. There are moments of agreement where we all come together and say, That doesn’t seem right — times when we can all be on the same side.”

Katie also picked Tarlov’s brain about Trump’s controversial picks for cabinet, including Pete Hegseth, her colleague at Fox News, who’s been tapped for secretary for defense. “I know Pete loosely,” Tarlov says. “He’s always been very pleasant to me. I think the [sexual assault] allegations are serious.”

But Hegseth isn’t the candidate she’s most concerned about; Tarlov says her “peak anxiety” is over Tulsi Gabbard as a potential head of national intelligence. “I am not in the business of accusing someone of being a Russian asset,” Tarlov explains. “But they like her too much.”

Watch our full conversation to hear more about Tarlov’s true feelings about Fox, our president-elect, where the Democrats went wrong, and much more.