There are many questions about Glenn Beck's upcoming departure from Fox News' 5 p.m. timeslot, not the least of which is, Who will replace him? Never one to shy away from offering an opinion, Beck, appearing on Andrew Napolitano's Fox Business Network program, told the host that the best way to keep people up to date on Beck's pet news stories is to "make you the replacement for me at 5 p.m." For good measure, Beck added, "I love you." Who else could replace Beck? Here, five possibilities:
1. Megyn Kelly
Kelly is "Fox's new big star," so it would make sense to move her up from her current 1-3 p.m. slot, say Glynnis MacNicol and Joseph Alexiou in Business Insider. As luck would have it, Beck's slot will be available about the same time Kelly returns from maternity leave. Kelly's "clearly gunning for a move from the 'news' side to the 'opinion' block," says Alex Pareene at Salon. As an added bonus, she sports "the most animated look of disgust I have ever seen on television."
2. Andrew Napolitano
Aside from being Beck's handpicked choice, Napolitano is "a tough-talking commentator in his own right, and he would fit in well," says Jon Friedman in MarketWatch. He's "probably the most likely replacement, at least in the short term," agree MacNicol and Alexiou. He's a frequent guest on Fox News, and more importantly, he's a "regular fill-in for Beck — in his most recent stint... he maintained Beck's impressive ratings."
3. Donald Trump
The Donald has jumped into Beck territory — even passed it — with his "birther" fixation, says Dara Kelly in Irish Central, making Trump "a rival [Beck] never anticipated." Fox could certainly do worse that putting Trump at 5 p.m., says Salon's Pareene. Like Newt Gingrich — a possible Beck replacement in his own right — Trump is "desperate for love and attention;" but Donald trumps Newt becaue he's simply way "more famous."
4. Alex Jones
The Texas-based radio host, perhaps best known for his fringe 9/11 "truther" theories, could easily fill the "huge void in the 'Crazy On Television' market" from Beck's departure, says Dorsey Shaw in BuzzFeed. Even better, he's "the guy Glenn borrowed most of his conspiracy theories from," so "Fox can just cut out the middle-man."
5. Charlie Sheen
He's in need of a new gig, and "Sheen has followed the Beck model of 'wildly spouting embarrassing BS on television equals popularity and relevance,'" says Ross Luippold in The Huffington Post. "So why not give him an hour-long pulpit on Fox News?" Besides, like the self-professed "rodeo clown" Beck, Sheen also "has experience working for a comedy program."
