Jesse Watters, a Fox News host who rose from production assistant to one of the conservative cable network’s biggest stars, will take over the 8 pm programming slot vacated by Tucker Carlson, the company announced Monday.
In a statement, Fox News said Sean Hannity’s broadcast will remain in the 9 p.m. ET slot, while Greg Gutfeld’s show will move to 10 p.m. ET. The Laura Ingraham Hour will kick off the primetime programming block at 7 pm ET.
“Fox News Channel has been America’s destination for news and analysis for more than 21 years, and we’re thrilled to introduce new programming,” said Suzanne Scott, the network’s CEO. “The unique perspectives of Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity and Greg Gutfeld will ensure our viewers have access to unmatched coverage of our best team for years to come.”
Watters is currently the host of the talk show “Jesse Watters Primetime,” which airs at 7 pm. He is also a regular panelist on “The Five,” one of the network’s most popular shows.
In recent years, Watters has established himself as one of Fox’s most strident conservative culture warriors and a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump.
Watters has also generated intense controversy over inflammatory comments and on-air behavior.
In late 2021, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Watters should be fired for using the phrase “kill shot” in a speech calling on young conservative activists to confront the public health leader with tough questions. Fox insisted that Watters’ words had been taken out of context.
In 2016, Watters conducted a series of interviews with Asian Americans in New York City’s Chinatown that critics deemed racist. In response, elected officials and activists protested outside the network’s headquarters. “I’m sorry if anyone found offense”, Watters tweeted.
Watters began his career as a production assistant for Fox News in 2002, when he had just finished college. He built a following online with ambush-style street interviews that many critics found hostile and abrasive.
Fox News said on April 24 that it was parting ways with Carlson, the network’s most popular primetime host and a leading voice in the modern conservative movement known for its right-wing views and conspiracy rhetoric. She has since launched a new show on Twitter.
The network announced the shocking news days after it agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems nearly $800 million to avoid a high-stakes defamation lawsuit that had cast a shadow over the future of the network.
