Jesse Watters, a Fox News anchor who rose from production assistant to one of the conservative cable network’s biggest stars, will take over the 8 p.m. slot vacated by Tucker Carlson, announce the company on Monday.
In a statement, Fox News said Sean Hannity’s broadcast will remain in the 9pm ET time slot, while Greg Gutfeld’s show will move to 10pm ET. The Laura Ingraham Hour will kick off the primetime programming block at 7:00 PM ET.
“Fox News Channel has been America’s destination for news and analysis for more than 21 years, and we’re thrilled to debut a new lineup,” said Suzanne Scott, the network’s CEO. “The unique perspectives of Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity and Greg Gutfeld will ensure our viewers have access to unparalleled coverage of our best team for years to come.”
Watters is currently the host of the opinion show “Jesse Watters Primetime,” which airs at 7 p.m. He is also a regular panelist on “The Five,” one of the network’s most popular shows.
In recent years, Watters established himself as one of Fox’s most strident conservative culture warriors and a staunch defender of former President Donald Trump.
Watters has also generated intense controversy over inflammatory comments and on-air behavior.
In late 2021, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Watters should be fired for using the phrase “kill shot” in a speech calling on young conservative activists to confront the public health leader with tough questions. Fox insisted Watters’ words had been taken out of context.
In 2016, Watters conducted a series of interviews with Asian-Americans in New York City’s Chinatown that critics found racist. In response, elected officials and activists protested outside the network’s headquarters. “I’m sorry if anyone was offended,” Watters tweeted.
Watters started as a production assistant at Fox News in 2002, fresh out of college. He built an online following with ambush-style man-on-the-street interviews that many critics found hostile and abrasive.
Fox News said on April 24 that it was parting ways with Carlson, the network’s most popular prime-time host and a leading voice in the modern conservative movement known for his right-wing views and conspiratorial rhetoric. He has since launched a new program on Twitter.
The network announced the surprising news days after it agreed to pay nearly $800 million to Dominion Voting Systems to avoid a high-stakes defamation lawsuit that had cast a shadow over the network’s future.
