Fox News' Jesse Watters Faces Intense Backlash From Critics Over Bizarre Amish Remark: 'Stupid and Not Funny'
Jesse Watters sent shockwaves through his colleagues when he insisted the Amish aren't real.
Sept. 8 2026, Published 11:21 a.m. ET
Jesse Watters' latest bizarre remark had even his fellow co-hosts on Fox News' The Five scratching their heads, RadarOnline.com can report.
Watters churned up controversy and disbelief when he seemed to insist the Amish aren't real.
Jesse Watters Believes Amish Followers 'Don't Exist'
The Fox News host stood by his declaration that Amish people 'don't exist.'
On the Monday, September 7, episode of The Five, Watters and co-hosts Kennedy, Jessica Tarlov, Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld filled the Labor Day holiday episode answering questions from fans.
One question comically asked the hosts to share something they thought as children that they were embarrassed to admit they believed for too long.
While light-hearted answers like Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy were expected, Watters decided to go in a different direction when the 48-year-old confessed he was embarrassed to admit he believed the Amish were real.
"Uh, I believed in the Amish. And then I realized they didn’t exist," Watters stammered.
Jesse Watters Defends Himself After His Amish Claim
His colleagues were stumped by the statement.
The declaration shocked both Gutfeld and Perino, who could be heard in the background expressing surprise and exclaiming, "What?"
But Watters wouldn't back down on his claim, explaining, "No, no. It's like, when you are in Philly growing up, you think like, Amish, these are real people that don't believe in electricity and live out in the middle of the state. Then I realized it’s just not true. There’s no such thing as the Amish!"
A baffled Tarlov shot back, "That is 100 percent true," but Watters simply smirked and replied, "I don’t think so."
While the confusion continued to settle in, Gutfeld at least tried to find a silver lining in Watters' statement.
"You know what's great about this is you're not going to get a letter or a complaint from the Amish on this," Gutfeld joked. "You picked the one group that will not be writing in; this will never reach them. Very smart, Jesse. I don't care what anybody says."
'The Dumbest Man on Television'
Viewers tried to convince Watters the Amish are real.
However, viewers did care and flooded Watters with bewildered comments and reactions.
"Aww yes another incredibly stupid comment from Jesse Watters," one person commented online, as another echoed, "The Amish absolutely exist! Saying otherwise is both stupid & not funny!"
A third person lamented, "People actually watches these idiots on purpose, what a waste."
While one person bellowed, "Jesse is the dumbest man on television and has been for years now. He’s the epitome of the American conservative male."
Watters Cuts Off a Guest Question
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Watters' had a contentious discussion with Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
Watters has made a name for himself with his outlandish comments and actions. He recently got snippy with Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed when the politician shockingly asked if the Fox News host was "circumcised" during a debate on "s-x change surgeries for minors."
The host pressed El-Sayed on a number of topics, but the interview derailed when Watters asked the 41-year-old if he supported gender reassignment for 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."
