Fox News' Jesse Watters desperately tries to salvage career as vile remark about Harris sparks backlash

WASHINGTON, DC: Fox News host Jesse Watters is frantically trying to contain the fallout from a controversial comment he made about Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday, August 26.

During a panel discussion on 'The Five' about her strategic capabilities, Watters shocked his co-hosts and viewers by suggesting that if the Democratic nominee were elected president, she would be "paralyzed" in the White House Situation Room while generals "have their way" with her.

Jesse Watters claims his remark about Kamala Harris was misinterpreted

The backlash was swift. Dana Perino immediately rebuked him, saying, "Jesse Watters," in a tone dripping with disapproval. Jeanine Pirro followed suit, adding, "Ooh, Jesse. I don't like that. Take it back."

Despite these on-air reprimands, Watters doubled down, attempting to clarify his comment by insisting he meant the generals would "control her" and that he didn't mean it in "a sexual way."

The damage control continued on Tuesday as the crisis deepened. 

While he didn't apologize, Watters said, "There has been some attention to comments made on the show yesterday about VP Harris. People are misconstruing my comments to mean something inappropriate."

He added, "I wasn't suggesting anything of a sexual nature. I was expressing my opinion that VP Harris' current leadership style could be an issue if elected," as per Daily Mail. 

Watters' remarks were condemned across the political spectrum, with notable voices like second gentleman Doug Emhoff's ex-wife, Kerstin Emhoff, and Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock expressing outrage.

"There are many things to worry about, but Kamala being manhandled in the situation room is not one of them," wrote Kerstin on X (formerly Twitter).

Comstock too didn’t hold back, calling Watters "the dumbest and most obnoxious man on Fox." 

"When even Fox Hosts can’t abide the intentional misogyny against @KamalaHarris by the dumbest and most obnoxious man on Fox, Jesse Watters. The brain worms that have 'their way' in this boy’s head…'"

Social media was ablaze with demands for Watters' to be fired, with many branding his comment as appalling, misogynistic, and repulsive. 

Amy Siskind, an activist and president of the not-for-profit organization The New Agenda, wrote, "Jesse Waters should be fired for this. Even the two women on this panel were appalled. What say you @FoxNews?" 

Jesse Watters is no stranger to controversy

Jesse Watters' personal and professional life has been marked by scandals, including an affair with Emma DiGiovine, an associate producer on his show 'Watters' World' while still married to his first wife, Noelle Watters.

The affair became public in 2017, and Watters' marriage ended in divorce, followed by a quick remarriage to the producer in question.

This latest incident adds another chapter to Watters' troubled history, one that includes a string of offensive remarks and tone-deaf attempts at humor. On one particular episode of 'The O'Reilly Factor', he visited New York City's Chinatown and mocked elderly Chinese people who couldn't speak English, sparking backlash for promoting unamusing racial stereotypes.

In April 2017, Watters made a crude sexual joke about Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, which sparked a similar backlash to his comment about Harris. He apparently gestured towards his mouth and remarked, "So, I don't really get what's going on here, but I really liked how she was speaking into that microphone."

He later claimed that he just meant Ivanka looked like a DJ. 

Earlier in July, the Fox News host stirred controversy by suggesting that women who vote for Harris have "mommy issues," and that men who vote for her might "transition into a woman." His latest remark only fueled the controversy further, amplifying calls for Watters to be held accountable for his offensive rhetoric. 

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