Jesse Watters debuted on Monday as the permanent host of Fox News’s 8 p.m. ET time slot, and wrapped up the hour with a conversation with “a very special guest on the line,” as he introduced his mom.
Watters noted that his mom was a Democrat.
In the phone interview, she told him, “We are so proud of you and your accomplishments and you’ve worked so hard. Now let’s aim to have you keep your job.”
She said that she had some suggestions. “Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes. We do not want to lose you and we want no lawsuits.”
That was an obvious reference to the previous occupant of the 8 p.m. slot, Tucker Carlson. In April, the network removed his show, which often generated controversy and furor as he promoted conspiracy theories over the January 6th attack on the Capitol, among other things. Last week, Ray Epps sued the network over Carlson’s claim that he was an FBI plant at the Capitol that day to create a “false flag”
She also told him, “In keeping with the Hippocratic Oath, do no harm. We need you to be kind and respectful. You yourself said humble is a stretch, so yes, I get that. Use your voice responsibly to promote conversation that maintains a narrative thread.”
She added, “There really has been enough Biden-bashing and the laptop is old. Perhaps you could suggest that your people take less interest, for example, in other people’s bodies and talk about that.”
Watters then tried to interrupt, saying he was trying to keep “other people’s interest away from children’s bodies, but she went on. “I knew this was a bad idea,” Watters said.
“You could encourage that that Bedminster friend of yours to return to his earlier career on television. Everyone in the audience could wear a red hat and I am sure the ratings would soar, although never as high as yours.”
As part of the schedule change. Laura Ingraham’s The Ingraham Angle moved to the 7 p.m. time slot, while Greg Gutfeld’s Gutfeld! was slotted an hour earlier, at 10 p.m. Fox News @ Night returned to the 11 p.m. ET period.