Robert Gilliland Beckel (born November 15, 1948) is an American political analyst and pundit, and a former political operative. He is a former analyst and commentator on Fox News. He had previously been a commentator on Fox News where he co-hosted The Five until he was released in 2015 after being absent for several months while recovering from back surgery. After departing Fox News in 2015, Beckel became a commentator for CNN. On January 16, 2017, he returned to Fox News as a co-host of The Five. On May 19, 2017, Fox News announced Beckel was released again after he was accused of making a racist remark against another Fox News employee. On February 19, 2018 he launched a podcast titled "Beckel's Bob Cast."
Beckel was born in New York City and grew up in Lyme, Connecticut. He is the son of Cambridge Graham Beckel Jr. (author of Workshops for the World: The United Nations Family of Agencies) and Ellen Gilliland Beckel. He is the older brother of actor Graham Beckel.