Fox News Star Jesse Watters Garners 800k Fewer Viewers Than Tucker Carlson During First Primetime Show, Up 60% From 'Fox News Tonight'
July 19 2023, Published 9:01 a.m. ET
Jesse Watters' first primetime show on Fox News debuted this week, and the ratings are in.
RadarOnline.com has learned that Watters’ new 8 PM show pulled in 2.4 million viewers on Monday night, according to Nielsen's ratings data.
While this is a respectable number, it falls short of the viewership that the previous 8 PM Fox News host, Tucker Carlson, regularly garnered.
Watters, 45, was chosen by Fox News to replace Carlson after Carlson was abruptly axed by the Rupert Murdoch-owned conservative news network in April.
MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes only pulled in approximately 1.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen, while CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 attracted an abysmal 668,222 viewers. Watters was #1 across all of cable news primetime.
Watters' primetime debut also saw a 60 percent increase in ratings compared to the nearly 12 weeks since Carlson's departure. A series of temporary hosts filled the timeslot on Fox News Tonight until Watters officially took over on Monday night.
Watters' ratings on Monday night were also reportedly on par with the network's ratings from the same time last year.
Meanwhile, Watters used his first episode to discuss a range of topics – including Hunter Biden, the dime-sized baggie of cocaine found at the White House earlier this month, and transgender rights.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Watters also received a surprising call from his own mother during his new show’s premiere on Monday night.
The Fox News star’s mother, Anne Watters, used the time to tell her 45-year-old host son to “do no harm” and “use [his] voice responsibly” on his own show.
She also warned Watters not to “tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes” and to stop the “Biden bashing.”
“Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes. We do not want to lose you and we want no lawsuits,” Anne Watters said. “In keeping with the Hippocratic Oath, do no harm.”
“We need you to be kind and respectful,” she continued. “You yourself mentioned that being humble is a stretch, so I get that. Use your voice responsibly to promote conversation that maintains a narrative thread.”
Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
“There has been enough Biden bashing, and the laptop is old,” Watters’ mother concluded. “Perhaps you can suggest that your people take less interest, for example, in other people’s bodies and talk about that.”
Watters stood in the studio awkwardly during his mother’s call – especially when she referenced the “Biden bashing” and the conservative news network’s constant reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop.
