Fox News host Jesse Watters began in his new prime-time slot Tuesday evening as part of the network’s readjusted line-up for the most-watched hours of the day, but his show did not go quite as well as he may have expected.
“Watters’ liberal mother called in to castigate him on television for his criticism of President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden and she also asked him to stop talking about adults who push children to mutilate their bodies,” The Western Journal reported.
“If that wasn’t embarrassing enough for Fox News, she also appeared to insult former network host Tucker Carlson and the show was seemingly prerecorded,” the outlet added.
Watters officially took over Tucker Carlson’s old time slot on Tuesday, as the prime-time lineup, in general, got a facelift.
“We have a very special guest on the line, a Democrat, my mom,” Watters told viewers before bringing her in: “How have you enjoyed the show so far?”
“I want to say congratulations, honey bun, we are so proud of you and your accomplishments and you’ve worked so hard. Now let’s aim to have you keep your job,” Anne Watters said.
“To that end, I do have some suggestions,” she added. “Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes. We do not want to lose you and we want no lawsuits, OK?”
She then made some remarks that many attributed to her taking potshots at Carlson.
“In keeping with the Hippocratic Oath, do no harm. We need you to be kind and respectful. You yourself mentioned that humble is a stretch, so I get that. Use your voice responsibly to promote conversation that maintains a narrative thread,” she added.
“There really has been enough Biden bashing and the laptop is old. Perhaps you can suggest that your people take less interest, for example, in other people’s bodies and talk about that,” Anne added.
At that, her son cut in and said he had been discussing how to protect the bodies of young children, but his mother continued talking.
“I knew this was a bad idea,” he said.
Anne concluded: “I’m speaking at a small dinner between 5 and 8.”
Earlier, when he announced the new time slot, Watters said his program would continue to cover stories the mainstream media ignores when it officially moves to 8 p.m. ET. Watters said his show is “in touch with the American people” unlike many other news outlets, Fox News reported.
“If you only watch and read the mainstream media, you live in a different world. My mother only reads The New York Times, and she has no idea that the Biden family was taking bribes from overseas,” Watters said, joking that he has to show his mother “real news” that she misses.
“We cover the stories that a lot of other people don’t cover because we know what the American people care about. They care about crime, care about corruption, care about the border,” Watters said. “When I cover a story, the first thing I think of is, ‘Do I care about this?’”
“I don’t speak for the American people. The American people speak to me, and we put on a show that the American people want to hear because we’re in touch with the American people,” Watters said.
“I can’t change, I can only get better,” Watters joked. “But fundamentally, my show will not change. I’m going to showcase serious news topics and serious stories. I do it in a way that some people call entertaining, but you know, no one says the news has to be boring.”
“There is pressure every night,” he said. “I don’t look at it as pressure, I look at it as an opportunity, and I’m very grateful and humbled by the opportunity. I just try to put on a killer show every night for the audience. That’s my goal.”