| Jesse Watters Primetime | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Watters World (2015–2022) |
| Genre | Current affairs program |
| Presented by | Jesse Watters |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| Production | |
| Production location | New York City |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes (with commercials) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox News |
| Release | November 21, 2015 (2015-11-21) – present |
Jesse Watters Primetime, known asFox News Primetime from 2021 until 2022, is an Americanconservative talk show andcurrent affairs program hosted byThe Five co-host and political commentatorJesse Watters. The program airs live weekdays at 8 p.m.ET and has been a part of FNC's lineup since January 24, 2022.[1]
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Jesse Watters Primetime comprises an opening segment and several news topics; such topics are presented in apopulist format.[2] The show features guests such as political commentatorClay Travis,[3]Candace Owens,[4] andDan Bongino.[5] In one segment, Watters interviewed Doreen Ford, a moderator of the subredditr/antiwork. Watters repeatedly mocked Ford, creating a publicity crisis for the subreddit.[6] In response, Ford was removed as a moderator and r/antiwork shut down for several days.[7] Following thecollapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Watters said that the bank was "awokeBiden bank" and that the company heldLesbian Visibility Day andPride Month seminars.[8]
Jesse Watters Primetime features a segment entitled "Mom Texts", in which Watters reads text messages his mother—noted to be aliberal—has sent him.[9] The segment continues an identical segment onThe Five.[10] The show closes out the week with a game segment called "Sink or Swim", where two Fox News personalities join the show and take turns answering questions about different headlines throughout the week.[11][better source needed]Jesse Watters Primetime continuesThe O'Reilly Factor's "Watters' World" segments with Watters' assistant, Johnny Belisario, conductingman-on-the-street interviews.[12][better source needed]
Jesse Waters Primetime features a design akin to anextreme sports show. The show is taped from Studio M at1211 Avenue of the Americas inNew York City. The studio features a "video chandelier" with a heavy duty lift system. Watters' desk is positioned in front of the video chandelier; rather than displaying graphics on the screen, graphics are overlaid on top of the screen. An alternative shot uses avideo wall.[13]
In 2003, Watters became involved in the production ofThe O'Reilly Factor. He became known on the program forman-on-the-street interviews in a segment entitled, "Watters' World".[14] "Watters' World" was promoted to a monthly special in November 2015 through the2016 presidential election,[15] before being promoted to a weekly program in January 2017.[16] In the wake of the2020 presidential election, Fox News began a shift in its programming, giving greater prominence to opinion shows. In January 2021, Fox News shiftedThe Story with Martha MacCallum earlier in the day; MacCallum's show was identified as news programming.[17] During the transition, Fox News filled the slot with a rotation of personalities under theFox News Primetime banner, includingMaria Bartiromo,Katie Pavlich, andTrey Gowdy.[18] Watters, a co-host ofThe Five, was selected to beFox News Primetime's permanent host in January 2022, forgoingWatters' World for the position.[19] In the show's debut episode on January 24, Watters garnered an average of 3.8 million viewers, beating outTucker Carlson Tonight. The following day, Watters averaged 3.6 million viewers.[2] By the end of 2022,Jesse Watters Primetime was the third most watched cable news show, behindTucker Carlson Tonight andThe Five, according toAdweek.[20]
On April 24, 2023, Fox News announced thatTucker Carlson had "agreed to part ways" with the network.[21] Carlson's departure resulted in a downturn in the network's ratings as the timeslot was filled by a rotation of personalities under theFox News Tonight branding.[22] On June 26, Fox News announced that Watters would take over Carlson's timeslot alongside other changes to the network's programming schedule,[23] following speculation that he would take the timeslot.[24]The Five co-hostGreg Gutfeld previously stated toThe Wall Street Journal that he would no longer appear onThe Five or hostGutfeld! if he were to take Carlson's timeslot.[25]
On July 15, 2024, the show aired its highest rated episode to date, with 5.5 million viewers. This was the program's first episode since theattempted assassination of Donald Trump, as well as its first day broadcasting at the2024 Republican National Convention.[26]
 | This sectionis missing information about anything other than slander and negative attacks. Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(May 2024) |
California governorGavin Newsom blamed Watters' comments for theattack on Paul Pelosi. Watters rebuked Newsom by stating that he was responsible for the attack by not deporting the perpetrator David DePape.[27]
Watters's engagement in theLGBT grooming conspiracy theory has attracted controversy. Following theColorado Springs nightclub shooting, Watters claimed thatdrag shows were designed to change the mainstream opinion of "sex with children", among other sexual activities.[28] During a November 2022 episode, Watters pointed to a statistic claiming more unmarried women voteDemocratic, resulting in controversy from single women, who pointed to an episode ofThe Five in which he claimed to have flattened his co-worker's tires just to ask her on a date.[29] Speaking abouthomelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area, Watters called homeless people "bags of flesh mutating on the sidewalk" and—in a remark consideredIslamophobic—he referred toSan Francisco as a "fentanylcaliphate".[30] Similarly, he posed that homeless people choose to be homeless in a February 2022 episode.[31]
Following thedeath of Elizabeth II, Watters brought up presidentJoe Biden's comment comparingElizabeth II to his mother at the2021 G7 summit and claimed that former presidentDonald Trump and Elizabeth II "never had a better time". HistorianBrooks D. Simpson called Watters' statements "abject desperation"; other figures who criticized him include actressHeather Thomas, senior advisorA. J. Delgado, and authorEllen Hopkins.[32]
| Preceded by | Jesse Watters Primetime 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. | Succeeded by |
