The Red Flags We Can't Ignore In Jesse And Emma Watters' Marriage

We've said in the past that Jesse Watters' wife should run for the hills, but his hypocritical marriage rant isn't the only reason why. While New York City relationship expert and creator of the "Love À La Carte Method" Susan Winter exclusively told us that this relationship isn't necessarily doomed (more on that later!), the fact that his relationship with Emma DiGiovine started as an affair, to him constantly bringing her up while making controversial points, the red flags in this union are undeniable. 

We'll start with one of the most bizarre red flags in their relationship: the way it started. And no, we're not talking about their scandalous relationship timeline. Back in 2022, Watters shared on an episode of "The Five" that he'd gone to spectacularly creepy lengths to essentially force DiGiovine to spend time with him. "When I was trying to get Emma to date me, first thing I did? I let the air out of her tires. She couldn't go anywhere. She needed a lift. I said, 'Hey, you need a lift?' She hopped right in the car," he laughed. Making matters even more ick-inducing, he also shared that he had never let her in on his little prank. It was all okay, he reasoned, because they had ended up married.

Unsurprisingly, some of the laughter from his co-hosts felt more than a little awkward. Greg Gutfeld jokingly compared him to the Zodiac killer, pointing out just how creepy his actions had been. Judge Jeanine Pirro, meanwhile, swiftly moved along when his response to her asking if that was a tactic he'd used on more than one woman suggested that, yes, he had. A few days later, in the wake of all the understandable backlash, Watters claimed that he had been joking. Ha-ha, we guess.

If Jesse Watters' bizarre joke about letting the air out of Emma DiGiovine's tires wasn't eyebrow-raising enough, his quips on her politics had many a brow skimming ceilings. Some may remember that in response to an ad from Kamala Harris' campaign, urging women to vote Democrat even if their husbands were trying to force them into picking Donald Trump, Watters made yet another uncomfortable joke. "If I found out Emma was going into the voting booth and pulling the lever for Harris, that's the same thing as having an affair. That violates the sanctity of our marriage ... It's over, Emma!" he said in mock seriousness during a clip from "The Five" shared by "The Young Turks."

Though Watters made it clear on this particular occasion that he was joking, many were quick to point out that the quip was nonetheless problematic. Taking to the comments section of The Young Turks' YouTube, one viewer noted, "Whether Jesse is joking or not, there's always some truth in humor." And, sure enough, there were some commenters who not only took Watters literally but agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment. "Agreed! That is tantamount to cheating. Trusting her again would be difficult to say the least," one wrote.

At the end of the day, whether serious or not, Watters has made it clear that he has a penchant for rage-bait that pertains to his wife. That may not be a glaring red flag for everyone, but it's certainly in hot pink territory. 

Pivoting away from hot pink and right back to flaming red flags, we return to Jesse Watters' bizarre comment on grocery shopping. ICYMI, Watters was utterly incensed by photos of Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff running errands together. "What kind of husband goes grocery shopping with his wife?" he griped — and this time, there was no irony detected.  

Unsurprisingly, Watters' critics were not amused. Taking to "The View: Behind the Table" podcast, Joy Behar mused that he was probably just a phony for views, but she didn't hide her frustration. "This guy goes on TV and bashes a man who helps his wife. It's unbelievable to me," she slammed. Meanwhile, one user on X, formerly Twitter, took the opportunity to lambaste Watters for his own past shortcomings as a husband. "Jesse knows that when a wife goes shopping, that's when a husband goes cheating, like a real man!" they wrote. Not altogether inaccurate. 

As for Watters, he only doubled down on his shady sentiments. Case in point: his response to a like-minded viewer, who had replied, "Smart men grocery shop with their wife. It's called price control." That elicited a titter of approval from Watters. His response to a not-as-enamored viewer who'd replied that good husbands shop with their wives? "Okay, now this is getting a little out of hand here. You don't need to go grocery shopping with your wife — you should be able to exert price control from afar," he said. That prompted one X user to share a suggestion for Emma DiGiovine: "His wife should only buy pasta, dried beans and pasta. Yummy, yummy, yummy. I'd serve it all in a bowl uncooked." TBH, same.

While Jesse Watters' overt misogyny is a red flag many times over, it is worth mentioning that two points some may see as a threat to their union might not actually spell disaster for the two. As we said earlier, relationship expert Susan Winter exclusively pointed out to Nicki Swift that there was hope yet.  

For starters, their age gap. According to Winter, Watters being a whopping 14 years older than Emma DiGiovine wasn't necessarily cause for concern — though she did call it "a cliché." Winter explained, "The historical premium placed on a woman's youth and beauty becomes a seductive choice in second marriages." Again, Winter reiterated that it wasn't a major hurdle, necessarily. "It's an age old barter system — youth and beauty for power and success," she said. As such, she continued, there was actually a good chance Watters and DiGiovine may end up going the distance, with Winter noting, "These relationships tend to last as both individuals have valuable pieces to add to the collective whole." As for another red flag, the fact that Watters and DiGiovine met at work (just as, ahem, Watters met his first wife on the job), Winter didn't find fault with that either. "If someone meets both their first and second wife on the job, it only indicates they work an awful lot of hours," Winter told us, pointing out that people often found love at work because that was where they spent most of their time. 

Small wins, we guess. Even so, we'll admit we're still holding thumbs that DiGiovine takes the dry beans and pasta advice to heart.