After an unexpected exit for paternity leave, Gutfeld returned to air Monday night to share a comedy monologue (with a few sentimental bits) about fatherhood.

Gutfeld, 60, and his wife Elena Moussa, 42, welcomed daughter Mira in early December. His Fox cohosts announced her birth during a Dec. 10 segment.

“When my wife told me she was pregnant, mine was the first diaper she had to change,” Gutfield joked in a speech laced with his signature disdain for liberalism.

Greg Gutfeld speaks during 2022 Fox Nation Patriot Awards at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Nov. 17, 2022, in Hollywood, Florida.

“It’s not easy but it’s not earth-shattering either,” Gutfeld said of parenting, “the lesson I learned is how much I gotta unlearn, meaning throughout my life I’ve mastered the art of being selfish.”

Gutfeld, 60, argued that selfishness had helped his career, but conceded that becoming a parent at his age had forced him to learn a lesson others may have learned earlier: “that you have to think about someone else.”

Known for an ironic, cutting, and some might say outright offensive tone, Gutfeld serves as host of “Gutfeld!” a late-night TV program with scads of viewers. He is also a member of “The Five,” the highest-rated show on Fox.

Gutfeld’s absence from the network began in early December, at first without explanation. Then, “Five” co-host Dana Perino revealed the news, reading a statement on his behalf.

“It is with great joy that my wife Elena and I have welcomed a baby girl into the world. Mira is healthy with a real set of lungs. She has Elena’s beautiful eyes and my rock-hard abs,” Perino read. “We are hard at work teaching her three languages and putting her through rigorous workout routines. She is already very observant and has asked if Jesse (Waters) wears a toupee. I told her that he definitely wears a wig.’”

Gutfeld married Moussa, 42, a fashion stylist whom he met in Portugal, in 2004, according to People magazine. Moussa is originally from Russia, and the two married less than a year after meeting.

Mira is the couple’s first child.

Contributing: Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic