The Controversial Comment Jesse Watters Once Made About Ivanka Trump
Jesse Watters is now set to assume the Fox News' 8 p.m. hour, but only a few years back, the political commentator was making crude jokes about Ivanka Trump. As many might recall, Watters kickstarted his career with Fox as a production assistant, serving on Bill O'Reilly's "O'Reilly Factor." Over the years, Watters has steadily risen to become a political commentator and journalist at the network. In 2016, Fox launched "Watters' World," a program featuring man-on-the-street and ambush-style interviews.
As he grew more popular at the cable news giant, Watters predicted his own success at the network. He hinted to Business Insider in 2016 that he might step into larger roles in the future. "Whatever Fox wants me to do, I'll do," he said in the interview. "I'm just going to keep working hard, keep my head down. There may be a few surprises coming up in the new year — you'll have to stay tuned for that. You may be seeing a little bit more of me." It, therefore, is barely a surprise that Watters has indeed climbed the ranks.
On June 26, Fox News announced that Watters was set to take over the 8 p.m. prime-time slot that has remained vacant since Tucker Carlson's sudden exit back in April. But while Watters has continued to grow increasingly popular with television viewers, he has also had his fair share of controversy — including one that involved then-first daughter Ivanka Trump.
Jesse Watters was accused of making a suggestive comment about Ivanka Trump
During a 2017 episode of "The Five," where he serves as host, Jesse Watters passed commentary on Ivanka Trump's visit to Berlin, where she served as a panel member at a Women's Economic Empowerment summit hosted by then Chancellor Angela Merkel. While at the event, Ivanka spoke in favor of her father, Donald Trump, describing him as a "tremendous champion of supporting families" and an ally for women. Unsurprisingly, Ivanka's praise for her father was not well-received, as the audience reacted with a boo.
Commenting on the situation, Watters criticized the audience's reaction while accusing them of disrespecting women. "It's funny. The left says they really respect women, and then when given an opportunity to respect a woman like that, they boo and hiss," he said on "The Five" at the time. Speaking further, Watters complimented Ivanka with a comment deemed inappropriate by many. "I don't really get what's going on here, but I really liked how she was speaking into that microphone," he added.
Shortly after his comment, Watters came under fire from critics who accused him of making a sexual innuendo about Ivanka. "Congratulations, Jesse Watters, you're a disgusting pig as well as being a racist moron," journalist John Podhoretz wrote on Twitter. "Disgusting and unbelievable. Let alone this is a counselor to the President and first daughter. Action [should be] taken," journalist and political commentator Mika Brzezinski tweeted at the time.
Jesse Watters was seemingly punished for his comment
Responding to the backlash, Jesse Watters released a statement refuting claims about his comment having a sexual undertone. "During the break, we were commenting on Ivanka's voice and how it was low and steady and resonates like a smooth jazz radio DJ," he said, according to The New York Times. "This was in no way a joke about anything else." Watters' statement, however, didn't do much to calm his raging critics.
Not long after, the Fox News host abruptly announced he was taking a few days off the air. "I'm going to be taking a vacation with my family, so I'm not going to be here tomorrow. I'll be back on Monday, so don't miss me too much," he said at the time, as noted by CBS News. Though it is unclear if Watters' sudden vacation was prompted by his controversial Ivanka comment, the timing roused suspicion.
This wasn't the first time Watters has come under fire for work-related issues. Back in 2016, the news host was accused of racism after the airing of his controversial Chinatown segment on "Watters World," a show he has hosted since 2015. "We should be far beyond tired, racist stereotypes and targeting an ethnic group for humiliation and objectification on the basis of their race," Asian American Journalists Association wrote in a statement addressed to Watters. The Fox News host defended himself, writing in a tweet that the segment was intended to be lighthearted.