In June 2023, Jesse Watters was announced to be the full-time replacement for Tucker Carlson, the controversial host who departed the company just months earlier. The correspondent, host, and author has been a longtime fixture at the news channel, with more than 20 years of experience under his belt at the network.
Though diehard fans (and detractors) of the network are surely aware of Watters, his signature style of broadcast journalism, and the various hats he’s worn throughout his time at Fox News, others may not be up to speed with the new 8 p.m. host and everything he has done over the years.
That being said, here are five quick things we know about the Jesse Watters Primetime host.
Jesse Watters Got His Start At Fox News With ‘Man-On-The-Street’ Interview Segments On The O’Reilly Factor
On Monday, July 17th, Jesse Watters will take over the 8 p.m. (ET) spot previously held by Tucker Carlson, who, himself, was given the highly coveted primetime block following the departure of Bill O’Reilly in April 2017. And Watters should feel right at home when his new show starts up, as he made his on-air debut as a correspondent on The O’Reilly Factor back in 2003, according to his Fox News profile.
The soon-to-be primetime host got his start with the network as a production assistant back in 2002, but quickly shifted to an on-screen role with his “man-on-the-street” interviews on O’Reilly’s ratings juggernaut of a news program. In June 2023, Variety published an article describing the former Fox News host as Watters’ “Geppetto,” crafting him into the vocal on-air personality he would become over the years. These interview segments, which could be described by some as ambushes, were a major part of The O’Reilly Factor over the years, and would eventually lead to Watters building a legacy of his own.
In 2017, The Fox News Personality Was Given His Own Weekly Show, Watters’ World
Jesse Watters’ “man-on-the-street” interview segments, which would later become known as Watters’ World, eventually led to the correspondent his own weekly series of the same name in January 2017, as CNN reported at the time. Ahead of the debut of the weekly, hour-long program, the then-rising star at Fox News released a statement thanking the network and the man who gave him a chance in the first place.
Though Watters’ World was given a one-hour slot on Saturdays starting in January 2017, it originally started out as a monthly special starting in November 2015 that ran through the duration of the 2016 President Election. The series, which aired its final episode in January 2022, focused primarily on politics, society, pop culture, and pretty much anything else Watters wanted to discuss each Saturday evening.
Jesse Watters Became A Co-Host Of The Five In 2017
Just a few months after he was given his own solo show on Fox News, Jesse Watters increased his spotlight when he was named as one of the co-hosts of the live weekly panel talk show known as The Five. The series, which kicked off in 2011 with hosts Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, and various other Fox News personalities like the departing Geraldo Rivera, covers a range of topics that aren’t that surprising to fans (and critics) of the network, including politics, current events, and pop culture.
In April 2017, not long into his time on The Five, Watters made controversial comments about the then First Daughter Ivanka Trump and took a short break from his hosting duties, Deadline reported at the time. Despite that controversy, and other statements made on the show in the years since, The Five remains one of the most popular shows on Fox News, and in January 2023, Forbes reported that it was the most-watched show in cable news.
The Fox News Host Published His First Book, ‘How I Saved The World’, In 2021
Over the years, Fox News hosts like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Bill O’Reilly, and several others have published multiple best-selling books focusing on a number of topics ranging from politics to history to memoirs about their experiences in the world of broadcast journalism. And in July 2021, Jesse Watters joined the ranks with the release of his debut book titled How I Saved the World.
In the book, which was published by HarperCollins, Watters took readers on an exploration of his early life, school days, and growth from a lowly Fox News employee to one of the most familiar faces on cable news. The book also features the pundit’s signature commentary on a vast array of topics in a brash and unapologetic tone that his viewers, and critics, have come to know over the course of his TV career. With glowing remarks about those he supports and not-as-friendly comments about “left-wing radicalism,” his book covered it all.
Watters Was Given A Permanent Fox News Primetime Spot In Early 2022
In early 2022, one year after he joined a roster of guest hosts that split up Fox News Primetime, Jesse Watters was named the program’s permanent host. The news came from The Hollywood Reporter in January of that year, in a story that also announced that Watters would continue to serve as one of the co-hosts of the panel show The Five in addition to his new 7 p.m. (ET) hosting duties each weeknight. At the same time, Forbes reported that the host would step away from his Watters’ World weekly show in light of the permanent post.
In a statement following the big announcement, Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott said the network touted Watters’ connection with his audience while also looking forward to watching him grow:
Jesse’s versatility and hosting acumen has grown exponentially over the last five years, and he has developed a deep connection to the audience through two hit shows The Five and Watters’ World. We look forward to watching him expand his connection even further through this new solo weeknight hour.
The experiment seemed to have worked, as now Watters is the host of a program in one of the most prominent time slots in all of cable news.
Those are just a few things to know about Jesse Watters, the new replacement in a time slot held down by the likes of Bill O’Reilly and Tucker Carlson for much of Fox News’ existence. If you want to know about other shows coming to the cable news network, and other channels as well, check out our 2023 TV schedule.
