Dana Perino: 'The Five' turns 10 - we mark this milestone with wonder and gratitude

This week, "The Five" celebrates its 10th anniversary.

It’s amazing for many reasons. Time has flown. We’ve had so many laughs and made a lot of memories.

And, get this — I’ve actually never held a job this long. (Not that I ever got fired! That was Greg Gutfeld’s specialty.)

In July 2011, I got the call about the temporary five-week show while I was waiting at baggage claim in Washington, D.C. I’d just returned from a trip to Africa, where my colleagues and I were working on radio programming for women and children’s health. It was a great trip, but I was glad to be home.

I didn’t anticipate that I’d just end up repacking and getting a room at a hotel near the studio. That summer, it was almost as hot here as it was in Nigeria. I learned that the East Coast doesn’t do a dry heat like the kind I’d grown up with out west. I cranked up the air conditioning in my room and prepared thousands of words of notes that I barely ever used.

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That’s because while the weather was hot, the show was super cool. Right away – and perhaps because we believed it was only temporary – we had a good time. Nothing has ever been scripted on the show, so it’s a bit like walking a high wire without a net. I think that’s what makes the show fun to do and enjoyable to watch.

It was a bit of a free-for-all at first - lots of topics and opinions flew around the table. Two weeks after we started, my husband Peter said, "I bet we move to New York. That show’s going to be a hit."

I thought, no way. And for once, I was so glad to be wrong. Peter reminds me of this regularly.

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There are so many people to thank for the success of "The Five," especially the people who work so hard to put the show on every day. Our producers are incredibly good at their jobs. They do the lion’s share of the work and deserve so much credit. There are the co-hosts that always bring their energy, intelligence, experience, and laughter to the set.

And most importantly, there are our fans – the ones who have watched from day one and remember nearly everything that’s ever been said on the show.; the ones who just started watching, perhaps during the pandemic, and who now say "The Five" is must-watch TV; and the ones who record the show so they can watch it when they get home from school or work. We’ve encouraged you never to miss an episode of "The Five," and you took us literally. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.

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So as we mark this occasion with a bit of wonder and a ton of gratitude, let’s all remember those six little words that make us so happy: "'One More Thing' is coming up next!"

Who knows what the next 10 years will bring?

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