New primetime host Jesse Watters was embarrassed by his mother while making his much-anticipated debut on Fox News, replacing Tucker Carlson.
Three months ago, Carlson’s show was cancelled by the network, which left the viewers curious about the sudden change. Although both Carlson and the network refused to give an official explanation for his departure, speculations suggest that it may be linked to the massive lawsuit settlement involving election misinformation, costing Fox News nearly a billion dollars.
During Watters’ inaugural show on Monday, the new Fox News host received an embarrassing call from his mother, Anne Watters, who is a Democrat and works as a clinical psychologist.
During the call, Anne congratulated her son on his new role and acknowledged his hard work and achievements.
However, the controversy arose after Anne warned her son while she made a jab at Tucker Carlson.
Jesse Watters’ mom (who is a Democrat) calls in to weigh in on his first night in his 8 pm show:
“Do not fall into any conspiracy rabbitholes. We do not want to lose you. … There really has been enough Biden-bashing and [Hunter’s] laptop is old.” pic.twitter.com/Nn8udb83sr— Kat Abu (@abughazalehkat) July 18, 2023
In addition, Anne also called Jesse a “honey bun,” on air and advised him to tread carefully to keep his job secure. She suggested steering clear of falling into any “conspiracy rabbit holes” and humorously mentioned not wanting any lawsuits to be involved, mocking Carlson.
“Do not fall into any conspiracy rabbitholes. We do not want to lose you. … There really has been enough Biden-bashing and [Hunter’s] laptop is old.” Anne advised her son.
Meanwhile, Jesse Watters chuckled as his mother shared her thoughts.
“You could encourage that Bedminster friend of yours to return to his earlier career on television. Everyone in his audience could wear a red hat,” Anne added.
The incident went viral on social media, sparking mockery and criticisms among netizens.
“Dude rubbing his temples as she keeps going is sending me. When your own parent is telling you (a supposed adult) on live television to not be a divisive extremist who peddles lies, maybe it’s time to look inward and change,” a netizen said.
As Jesse Watters takes the reins as the new host, he is well aware of the enormous shoes he has to fill. Tucker Carlson’s show had an impressive viewership, averaging over 3 million people each night.
However, once Carlson was taken off the air, the viewership dropped to under 2.6 million, marking a significant 21% decline.
Watters faces the challenge of engaging the audience that his predecessor had established a strong relationship with throughout his tenure at Fox News. Whether he can rebuild those connections and captivate the viewers remains uncertain.
