
Fox host Jesse Watters’ mother calls into show to chastise him for ‘tumbling into conspiracy rabbit holes’
Fox News host Jesse Watters received a lot of advice from his mother on air on the very first night of his show on the network in which he replaced a primetime slot previously hosted by Tucker Carlson. Watters’ mother has sent critical text messages to her son since 2017, when he became co-host of The Five. Later, producers introduced a segment called “Mom Texts” in which he regularly read aloud his mother’s texts to him. On his first night as Carlson’s replacement on the 8pm ET slot on 17 July, his mother started by congratulating him. “Congratulations, honeybun. We are so proud of you and your accomplishments ... Now let’s aim to have you keep your job. And to that end, I do have some suggestions,” she told her son on his Jesse Watters Primetime. “Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes. We do not want to lose you and we want no lawsuits, OK?” she said. Carlson, the previous regular 8pm Fox host, was fired by Fox News earlier this year after the network agreed to a $787.5m legal settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. The lawsuit filed by the company alleged Carlson and other Fox News personalities and their guests amplified bogus statemenets and conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. “I want you to seek solutions, versus fanning the flames,” Ms Watters told her son. She told him to “use your voice responsibly, to promote conversation that maintains a narrative thread.” “There really has been enough Biden bashing. And the laptop [Hunter Biden’s laptop controversy] is old,” she added. “Perhaps you could suggest that your people take less interest, for example, in other people’s bodies, and talk about that,” she said, a likely reference to his ongoing segments ridiculing transgender people and his commentary on abortion. (Last year, Watters called a very real story about a 10-year-old girl who needed abortion care a ”hoax” and “politically timed disinformation”, then tried to take credit for putting “pressure” on the investigation after a suspect was arrested.) She also mocked Donald Trump by referring to him as “that Bedminster friend” of her son’s. “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 and I’m sure the ratings would soar, although never as high, my darling, as yours,” she said. Ms Watters also urged her son to take cognisance of the Hippocratic Oath – “do no harm” – and to “be kind and respectful”, even though she acknowledged that her son mentioned the idea of him being “humble” might be “a stretch”. Watters’ honed his reputation on the network with brash, offensive man-on-the-street interview segments and deliberately provacative commentary that has drawn widespread criticism and accusations of sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and election denialism, including incendiary statements aired days before the attack on the US Capitol. Unlike Carlson, who arrived at Fox after on-air roles at competing networks, Watters is something of a Fox company man, moving up in the ranks over more than 20 years while adopting the hostile posture and talking points of some of its biggest stars, with a self-satisfied grin. Read More Far-right pundits and lawmakers evangelise and crown Trump and Tucker at Turning Point’s Florida conference US support for Ukraine emerges as key dividing line between GOP 2024 hopefuls in Tucker Carlson-hosted forum Tucker Carlson and Mike Pence clash in heated exchange over Ukraine at GOP 2024 forum Meet Jesse Watters, the Fox News host helming Tucker Carlson’s primetime slot He was a loyal Fox News viewer before he starred in a conspiracy theory. Now Ray Epps is suing
2023-07-19 00:23

Panama's ex-President Martinelli sentenced to more than 10 years in prison
By Elida Moreno PANAMA CITY A Panamanian court sentenced former President Ricardo Martinelli to more than 10 years
2023-07-19 00:23

Biden re-election campaign HQ will be based in Delaware
WASHINGTON President Joe Biden will literally keep his re-election campaign headquarters close to home - Wilmington, Delaware, that
2023-07-18 23:59

Donald Trump says he's a target of special counsel's criminal probe into 2020 election aftermath
Former President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he's been informed by special counsel Jack Smith that he is a target of the criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
2023-07-18 21:53

Olympics-Paris 2024 organisers keep close eye on Europe's heatwave
By Forrest Crellin PARIS Organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are paying close attention to long-term weather
2023-07-18 21:25

Bitcoin ETF Hype Threatens Another Sell-The-News Fizzle
The best argument in favor of approving new Bitcoin exchange-traded funds is that they already exist, tracking futures.
2023-07-18 21:24

Do Not Draw a Line After Umpire Emil Jimenez Makes the Right Call
Ryan Noda got tossed.
2023-07-18 21:18

House to vote on resolution of support for Israel in wake of Jayapal comments
The House will vote Tuesday on a resolution affirming support for Israel, according to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise -- a direct response to Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal's now walked back comments about Israel being a "racist" state.
2023-07-18 20:55

Biden to welcome Israel's Herzog to White House
Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to the White House on Tuesday is meant to demonstrate steadfast American commitment to Israel and its security 75 years after the country's establishment.
2023-07-18 19:47

Commonwealth Games: Australia drop out could be 'death knell'
Victoria's decision to walk away from 2026 hosting duties could be a "death knell" for the Games.
2023-07-18 18:47

UK government's contested illegal immigration plan to become law
By Kylie MacLellan and Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's highly contested plan to make it easier
2023-07-18 18:21

Drones Target Crimea After Putin Vows to Avenge Bridge Blast
Ukraine and Russia accused each other of overnight drone attacks hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed revenge
2023-07-18 17:49