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Have you lost a friendship over a political disagreement lately? Ever avoided a social event because you know you’ll run into someone whose politics make your blood boil?
Welcome to disagreeing in America in 2026.
Jessica Tarlov disagrees with civility for a living. She’s the sole liberal voice on cable’s number one news show, Fox News’ The Five, where she engages in daily verbal combat with four conservatives. She manages to keep her cool and her grace while doing it.
In her new book, * I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends,* she shares the strategies and hard-won lessons she’s learned from years of disagreeing for a living.
So I asked her for a crash course: How do you start a disagreement without alienating the other person from the jump? When does staying silent actually help? And how do women navigate the maddening reality that a forceful argument can quickly become a conversation about their tone, style or likability?
And then there’s the question underneath all of it: How do we disagree when we can’t even agree on what’s true?
You can buy the book here and find our conversation, with Jessica’s tips for getting through the fight, at the top of this email. If you’d prefer to read a transcript of our discussion, find that here.
You can buy the book here. Find a transcript of our conversation below. It has been lightly edited for clarity, and contains timestamps corresponding to our video interview. You can watch that here.
**Jessica Yellin **00:07
Hi everyone, you are in for a treat. This is going to be a good conversation with my friend Jessica Tarlov.
Now, even if you claim you don’t watch Fox News, I bet you do check it out. And you know Jessica as the lone liberal voice on Fox News’s “The Five,” which I think might be the top-rated show on cable TV. She also co-hosts the podcast Raging Moderates alongside friend of NNN Scott Galloway.
But we are here to talk about her new book, which is out today: I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends. This is a very practical book that addresses a question lots of you ask me. It is a guide to navigating conflict with confidence, with data, and with emotional maturity, if that’s possible. I am very glad to bring you advice from someone who practices civil disagreement for a living.
Jessica, hi. How are you?
**Jessica Tarlov **00:56
I am all the better for seeing you. I always love Jessica - Jessica situations.
**Jessica Yellin **01:05
Today’s your actual publication day. It’s a little unnerving, even when you’re as well-known as you are. How are you feeling?
**Jessica Tarlov **01:16
Unnerved. Nervous. I mean, it’s just — all the feelings are happening. Like, you should be excited and feel good about this accomplishment, and the book is great, and I hope that you buy it, and love it, and that it’s helpful for you. But it’s an enormous popularity contest, too. It’s strange where people’s lines are, of how far they’ll follow you into the desert, right? I have all these people that are like, “You do the Lord’s work. You have the patience of a saint.” And I’m like, “Just buy my book, then, if you like me so much.” So, if you like me that much, just buy my book. It would make me happy.
**Jessica Yellin **01:53
I 100% endorse. I also have to say there is so much goodwill out there for you, broadly speaking, that I am feeling this is going to be a real hit and it’s going to be a breeze. But I know it always feels like, “Are people going to come to my birthday party?” That’s how it feels, right?
**Jessica Tarlov **02:08
Totally. Or like my birthday party for my kid, actually, because I care more about that for her. Like, are you about to skip my five year old’s party?
**Jessica Yellin **02:16
We’re not. We’re coming to your party. Let’s talk about it.
You spend five days a week professionally disagreeing with people, and it’s often four against one. Before we get into the specifics of the book, I would just love to know: What’s happening five minutes before “The Five” goes live? Are you guys all joking around, and then the light goes on, and you start trying to demolish each other’s arguments?
Understanding how physically painful it can be to be tussling with these ideas for people has been instrumental in me calming down.
