Fox News co-host Jessica Tarlov has revealed that she received the devastating news of her father's imminent death just hours before her wedding ceremony in 2021. The personal disclosure is detailed in her forthcoming book, "I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends," slated for release on September 15. The "Five" co-host's account sheds light on a period marked by significant personal milestones, including her engagement, marriage to Brian, and the anticipation of her first child, all set against the backdrop of her father's terminal illness.
"The bad news: It was the day I found out that my dad was going to die very soon." Jessica Tarlov, Fox News Co-Host
Tarlov's father, Peter Tarlov, had been battling tongue cancer since his initial diagnosis in 2007. By the time of her wedding, his condition had deteriorated significantly, and he was undergoing treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Tarlov recounts that she had never extensively envisioned her wedding day during her youth, prioritizing finding the right partner. However, when the day arrived, she was 12 weeks pregnant and wore a "gorgeous short, pink-lace dress with feathers." Despite the joyous occasion, the excitement was profoundly overshadowed by the tragic news. "The bad news: It was the day I found out that my dad was going to die very soon," Tarlov wrote, according to an excerpt published by People.
The initial wedding plans were modest, a civil ceremony at San Francisco City Hall with only Tarlov and her husband. These plans evolved after her father expressed a desire to witness his daughter's marriage. Consequently, the couple arranged a ceremony in a park near her parents' residence, offering views of the Statue of Liberty. This was followed by an intimate gathering of approximately 20 friends and family members at a neighborhood restaurant Tarlov had frequented since childhood.
Signs foreshadowing the day's somber turn began to emerge the evening prior. Tarlov noted that her father felt too unwell to meet with friends who had traveled from Los Angeles to visit him. "That was sign number one that the wedding wouldn’t go as planned," she recalled. The following morning brought an even more critical development. "At ten in the morning on our wedding day, with the ceremony scheduled in four hours, my mom told me that she had to take him to the hospital," Tarlov wrote, detailing the moment she received the news while undergoing hair and makeup preparations for the ceremony.
Her father ultimately passed away in July 2021. Tarlov navigated this profound loss while pregnant with her first daughter and on the cusp of a significant transition in her television career. She recalled her father's keen interest in her Fox News appearances and his immense pride in her professional achievements. However, he sometimes found watching her engage in debates with other network personalities unsettling, as reported by Irish Star. Tarlov mentioned that her mother occasionally pre-screened episodes of "The Five" to spare her father the discomfort of seeing his daughter subjected to contentious exchanges. "Though he loved what I did and was very proud, he could never get past the concern he felt that his little girl would get shouted down," Tarlov penned. Despite these concerns, she observed that in the months preceding his death, he had grown increasingly enthusiastic about her work and the growing confidence she exhibited on television.
Several months later, when Tarlov was eight months pregnant, Fox News appointed her as a regular co-host on "The Five," marking a pivotal moment in her career. Tarlov also recounted an emotional moment on air after her father's death, during a discussion about a charity event organized by Jon Stewart and Pete Davidson to support 9/11 first responders. As she began to speak about her father, she found herself crying during the live broadcast. Will Cain, filling in for Jesse Watters at the time, offered support by placing a hand on her shoulder as she struggled through the emotional moment. Tarlov's new book draws upon these deeply personal experiences, including her father’s death, her marriage, and her television career, to explore her journey in developing her voice while navigating personal relationships and the intense political disagreements characteristic of her public role.
