Monday’s premiere of “Jesse Watters Primetime” at 8 p.m. ET was an embarrassment for Fox News and an insult to viewers at home who had grown accustomed to substantive conversations and topics during the hour.
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.
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.
Watters’ show was placed in Carlson’s old time slot beginning this week as part of Fox News’ prime-time shakeup.
Amid sinking viewership over the decision to oust Carlson, the entire primetime lineup was reshuffled — minus the hour that has been held by Sean Hannity for more than two decades
With Carlson at the helm, 8 p.m. on Fox News was must-see TV for years as the host poked the bear and demanded accountability from government at all times.
No one was safe from the biting analysis and onslaughts of blunt questions no one else was willing to ask — especially duplicitous people such as Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who wouldn’t dare appear on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
But Fox News pulled the irreplaceable Carlson from the air at the height of his popularity and forced Watters liberal mother on viewers during his inaugural show Monday.
Anne Watters, a proud liberal, called into the show to evaluate her son’s performance.
“We have a very special guest on the line, a Democrat, my mom,” Watters told viewers, before he asked her, “How have you enjoyed the show so far?”
“We have a very special guest on the line, a Democrat, my mom,” Watters told viewers, before he asked her, “How have you enjoyed the show so far?”
She then made some comments that are easy to interpret as insults to Carlson — who the rest of the media has tried to portray as a wild conspiracy theorist:
“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.
“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.”
Watters cut in to say he was discussing protecting children’s bodies but mom kept talking.
“I knew this was a bad idea,” he said.
She concluded, “I’m speaking at a small dinner between 5 and 8” before the call ended.