Kimberly Guilfoyle — co-host of the primetime talk show The Five on Fox News — discussed her life and career while encouraging open political discourse in a lecture Tuesday hosted by the Cornell Republicans.
Guilfoyle spoke about her experience as a female lawyer in California prior to joining Fox News. She cited one of her greatest life accomplishments as being “undefeated in the courtroom.”
While serving as the assistant district attorney of San Francisco in 2002, Guilfoyle said she earned a conviction in a second-degree murder trial in the case of People vs. Noel and Knoller, which garnered international attention and put her in the spotlight.
“I received six unsolicited offers to work in television,” Guilfoyle said. “I was getting calls from William Morris agency, Creative Agency, saying we’d like to represent you.”
Guilfoyle said she declined at first, because she was content with her law career. However, after divorcing California politician Gavin Newsom, Guilfoyle said she relocated to New York to pursue a career in television.
Starting out as a political commentator on several shows including Larry King, Good Morning America and Anderson Cooper, Guilfoyle acknowledged that working in the male-dominated world of politics could be challenging.
“I put myself out there to take a chance,” Guilfoyle said. “You develop a thick skin.”
As co-host of The Five, which airs daily on Fox News Channel, Guilfoyle said she is one of five voices sitting around table — with co-hosts Eric Bolling, Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino and Juan Williams — discussing politics, economics, news and entertainment.
Guilfoyle described her experience as co-anchor of The Five as “incredible,” stressing her respect for her colleagues.
“I feel like I play for the Yankees,” Guilfoyle said. “We have a great team, a great line-up.”
Guilfoyle offered advice to students exploring their political identity, suggesting they “get exposure to both sides” of contentious issues.
“Reading, watching news, formulating your own opinions — it’s kind of like baking a cake. Put in all the ingredients and see how it turns out,” she said.
When asked, Guilfoyle declined to reveal her predictions for who will win the Republican nomination in this year’s presidential election.
“You never know for sure,” she said. “We’re waiting to see.”
Guilfoyle thanked the Cornell Republicans for hosting her on campus in “One More Thing,” the final segment of The Five, on Wednesday’s on-air program.