Fox News announced this week that it would place anchor Jesse Watters as the 8 p.m. replacement for Tucker Carlson’s old time slot. Carlson exited the news network despite high ratings earlier this year.
Watters has experience during that specific news hour. He previously hosted a segment during the “O’Reilly Factor” when former host Bill O’Reilly held the coveted slot.
The decision will significantly impact Fox News’ schedule, with host Laura Ingraham moving to 7:00 p.m. and Greg Gutfeld shifting to 10:00 p.m. Anchor Sean Hannity’s 9:00 p.m. show “Hannity” will not be affected.
Fox News said in a statement that it was “thrilled to debut a new lineup.”
The network said that its hosts’ “unique perspectives” would “ensure our viewers have access to unrivaled coverage from our best-in-class for years to come.”
Breaking: Fox News announced that Jesse Watters will replace Tucker Carlson as anchor on its 8 p.m. primetime show https://t.co/5BHqmI4oQR
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 26, 2023
Watters emerged as a significant critic of President Joe Biden. He has focused on allegations surrounding the president’s son Hunter Biden’s business dealings during his recent time in the spotlight.
The host has been with the network since 2002 when he started as a production assistant. He has hosted a weekend show, “Watters’ World” since 2017.
Watters received pushback from Washington figures, with Dr. Anthony Fauci calling for the network to fire him in 2021.
Carlson was ousted from Fox News in April despite often leading all cable news in ratings.
“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the network said at the time. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
Since, Carlson launched a new program on social media, “Tucker on Twitter.”
The host thanked Twitter for its approach to free speech, saying that he hoped the social media network “will be the shortwave radio under the blankets.”
“We’re told there are no gatekeepers here. If that turns out to be false, we’ll leave,” he said. “But in the meantime, we are grateful to be here.”
