Jesse Watters' mom advises against 'conspiracy rabbit holes' in new Fox News 'Primetime' slot
Jesse Watters received some good, old-fashioned motherly advice on his Fox News show "Jesse Watters Primetime" Monday night on how to hold onto his job as he settles into his new time slot.
"Congratulations honey bun. We are so proud of you and your accomplishments. And you've worked so hard," said Anne Watters, who is a Democrat. "Now, let's aim to have you keep your job and to that end, I do have some suggestions."
Watters won the conservative commentator golden ticket last month when he was announced as the successor to Tucker Carlson's coveted 8 p.m. EDT time slot after Fox abruptly fired the firebrand superstar in April. "Jesse Watters Primetime" previously sat in the 7 p.m. opening.
His mother, a child psychologist, had plenty of guidance to share during his first 8 p.m. broadcast.
"Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes," she said. "We do not want to lose you and we want no lawsuits."
She continued with a list. "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," she said. "Use your voice responsibly to promote conversation that maintains a narrative thread. There really has been enough Biden bashing."
She added: "Perhaps you could suggest that your people take less interest, for example, in other people's bodies."
His mom also advocated for taking a small dinner between 5 and 8 p.m. pre-show.
She wished her son luck in his next endeavor. "I love you," she said.
'I'm not nasty; I'm brutally honest': Jesse Watters is ready for Fox News 'Primetime' slot
Anne Watters has critiqued Fox News broadcaster son Jesse Watters in the past
Anne Watters has sent her son plenty of critiques in the past, and Watters has broadcast humorous segments reading his mom's texts.
"If my mother doesn't disagree with what I'm doing, then I'm doing something wrong," Watters told Paste BN ahead of his show's new slot, adding that she was "very stressed" when he broke the news about the promotion.
"She's worried for me and happy for my career," he said. "And there's sadness, occasionally, about how my career has gone. And concern about the trajectory of my career."
The air time is all the difference in the world for the rising Fox News star, 45, who has spent his entire career at the cable channel and has developed a controversial reputation.
In 2021, Anthony Fauci called for Fox News to fire him following comments to young conservatives to "ambush" the nation's top infectious disease expert and "go in for the kill shot." (Fox backed Watters, saying he was "using a metaphor for asking hard-hitting questions to Dr. Fauci.")
But Watters defended his combative TV style.
"I'm not nasty; I'm brutally honest. In cable TV you have to be blunt, concise, direct, and go right to the bone," he said. "I might be controversial in the mainstream media, but a lot of Americans don't see me as controversial. A lot of Americans think of me as right."
Contributing: Bryan Alexander