Laura Ingraham believes Fox News Channel’s revamped lineup is critical because "real Americans" need to be heard, and she’s excited to lead off a primetime block that will focus on stories that truly matter when the new schedule debuts July 17.
"I think about half of America feels like things have gone so crazy in politics and the culture that they have very few voices that represented them, or that speak to them and speak to the issues they care about," Ingraham said.
"So, we're going to try to do that every night, actually bring people stories that matter to their daily lives, and also that affect the future of the country and address them in ways that perhaps have been neglected," she continued. "The dominant perspective for politics and culture is oftentimes at odds with the way most Americans really feel."
"The Ingraham Angle" will kick things off at 7 p.m. ET, followed by "Jesse Watters Primetime" shifting to 8 p.m. ET, "Hannity" will remain at 9 p.m. ET and "Gutfeld!" will begin at 10 p.m. ET. Trace Gallagher’s "FOX News @ Night" will close out the network’s primetime coverage at 11 p.m. ET.
Ingraham is a "conservative, proudly" but feels she can appeal to viewers on both sides of the aisle.
"I hold Republicans, Democrats accountable. I think everybody knows that about me. I'm pretty straight talker," she said. "We also want to entertain people, keep people entertained as they learn, and we love doing that."
Ingraham credits her team for much of the success of "The Ingraham Angle," which began in 2017. She emerged as the most-watched woman in cable news along the way and expects things to continue to improve once the show starts three hours earlier.
JESSE WATTERS WILL CONTINUE PUTTING ON SHOW ‘AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR’ WITH MOVE TO 8 PM ET
"We'll be first in prime addressing the topics that we find are either underreported, or presenting a perspective that hasn't really been properly explored," Ingraham said.
"The Ingraham Angle" isn’t expected to change much, aside from a different commercial break structure that might lead to a little faster pace. But the move to 7 p.m. ET will come with a lifestyle change for the single mother of three teenagers.
"It'll be harder, in a way, for me because I'm able to have dinner with my kids every night now. That might be challenging in the new timeslot," she said. "But I'll certainly be able to be with them -- they're 13, 15 and 18, so they're not going to bed at 7:00."
Ingraham expects to be home before 9 p.m. most nights, an hour before her show currently begins, which opens up mornings for more family time.
"I'll be able to drive them to school every single day, not just three days a week, which I was somehow pulling off," she joked.
Ingraham said she doesn’t tend to sleep a lot but, and might get a little more rest with the new gig, but she wasn’t exactly sleeping in when her show aired at 10 p.m.
"I hosted a morning radio show for 17 years from nine to noon, so I was always a morning. I'm still a morning person. So, I was a morning person with a late show," she said.
"We got used to it, and I really loved it," Ingraham continued. "But I'm excited about the change. Very excited."
As for the title of most-watched female cable news host, Ingraham feels her far-reaching experience that includes a right-out-of-college gig with the Reagan administration, an extensive legal background and the challenges of motherhood have put her in a position to compete against anyone.
"I don’t like to lean on the woman thing that much, but it’s certainly nice. I’d rather be the most watched, period," she said.
"The Ingraham Angle" was the top-rated 10 p.m. program since on cable news since it debuted. Ingraham, a former litigator and Supreme Court law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, joined Fox News Channel in 2007 as a contributor.
