Fox News Host Jesse Watters Fires Back After Being Asked If He's 'Circumcised' During Live Interview With Abdul El-Sayed: 'That's a Personal Question'
Jesse Watters was taken aback by a question from Abdul El-Sayed.
Aug. 25 2026, Published 4:54 p.m. ET
Jesse Watters cut off a personal question from Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, when the politician shockingly asked if the Fox News host was "circumcised."
The two were having a tense conversation about "s-x change surgeries for minors" when things got snippy.
Jesse Watters Presses Abdul El-Sayed on Hard News
The two had a contentious discussion on Watters' Fox News show.
Watters pressed El-Sayed on a number of topics, ranging from ICE raids to Beyoncé. However, the interview derailed when Watters asked the 41-year-old if he supported for minor children.
"So you think it's OK for a parent to slash his kid's ding-a-ling off?" Watters asked El-Sayed. "You think that’s OK?"
The senate candidate seemed taken aback by the tone of the question, responding, "Do you really wanna have this conversation? Are you circumcised?"
That's when things came to a head, as Watters babbled back, "Ah! Yeah. But I mean, uh, that's a personal question, doctor!" before challenging his guest, "A circumcision’s different than castration."
El-Sayed fired back, scolding the host, "I just think it’s a problem that you think you get to decide what happens between a parent, a doctor, and a patient. I'm just saying that, yes, circumcision is surgery on a kid's ding-a-ling, so if you really wanna bring that up, you can."
Critics Attack Jesse Watters' Line of Questioning
El-Sayed did not back down when Watters asked him about medical care for transgender children.
Critics of Watters did not shrink away from speaking out, calling it an ambush on the Democratic guest.
"Watters is an idiot and an a--hole.," one person raged in a Reddit chat room. "El-Sayed makes a somewhat interesting point, but it's largely impossible to make somewhat interesting points on a Fox News show. The whole thing seems ridiculous and embarrassing."
Another person added: "People like Watters are not looking to engage in reasoned debate. They want a 'gotcha' moment, a soundbite they can replay over and over again on Fox or other conservative networks.
One person responded: "Watters is in the mud, slinging upward to try and bring low a candidate. WATTERS is the one talking about little boys ding-dongs, and a person who is trying to stop people from dying in our healthcare system has to now talk about little boys ding-dongs. It's always a no-win scenario."
While a fourth simply conceded: "Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig likes it."
Jesse Watters Tries to Contact Rosie O'Donnell
Watters recently riled Rosie O'Donnell.
Watters has been busy rubbing liberal politicians and celebrities the wrong way. Earlier this month, actress Rosie O'Donnell tore into the host, claiming she was ambushed by a crew of his "screaming" producers outside of her New York City theater.
The comedian, who had been performing in the off-Broadway show Common Knowledge at Union Square's Daryl Roth Theater, claimed Watters' team tried unsuccessfully to get her on his show.
"Today, a Fox crew was waiting for me to exit the car – they ran in mass, screaming, 'JESSE WATTERS WANTS TO TALK TO U' – so what? I have no desire to talk to him or Fox (we lie to Americans) 'news' so say what u need and go the f--- away," O'Donnell captioned her August 5 TikTok video.
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Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Jesse Watters
The actress called him out in a TikTok for ambushing her.
In the actual video, taken while she was apparently getting her hair done before her show, O'Donnell declared: "So here's what I want to say to Jesse Watters and his gang of unruly reporter yellers at the theater today: no, I don't want to speak or answer a question from Jesse Watters."
She continued, "I've never watched Jesse Watters, and I don't care to, OK? I've read enough about what he's said about women and who he is and how his career began on Bill O'Reilly's show, of all places," as the Philadelphia native once served as the longtime Fox News host's booker and producer before getting on-air segments on The O'Reilly Factor."
The former The View panelist then began to taunt Watters, telling him, "Ok Jesse, you do what you do. Stay out of my orbit. If you want to interview me, call my publicist. That's how it works. Don't you know that yet?"
O'Donnell ended her rant by telling the Fox star, "I'm not afraid of you. I just have no interest in you in any capacity."
