Fox News announced that Jesse Watters, a seasoned network figure, will assume the crucial prime-time slot left vacant by the departure of top-rated host Tucker Carlson. This decision comes as a significant shift in the line-up of the most-watched US cable news network.
Tucker Carlson stepped down from the network in April, following Fox Corp’s settlement of a hefty US$787.5 million (RM3.7 billion) defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems, wherein Carlson played a prominent role.
Starting July 17, Watters will transition to the 8pm time slot, presenting his opinion programme, “Jesse Watters Primetime,” which originally aired at 7pm last year. Fox News asserted that Watters’ show amassed more than 2.6 million viewers this year, including 270,000 from the key 25-54 age demographic. This accomplishment positions his programme as the highest-rated 7pm show in cable news history.
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Carlson’s talk show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” held the previous record for the highest-rated cable news programme among the same demographic, ensuring Watters steps into significant shoes.
Watters started with Fox News in 2002 as a production assistant. His career at the network flourished, leading to interviews with high-profile personalities such as former President Donald Trump and entrepreneur Mark Cuban on his weekend show “Watters’ World,” which debuted in 2017.
In spite of calls for Watters’ dismissal by infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci in 2021, Fox News chose to support Watters following his controversial plea for conservatives to “ambush” Fauci.
After Carlson’s exit, Fox News experienced a 32% decrease in average total prime-time viewers in May compared to the previous month, as reported by AdWeek using Nielsen data. Nevertheless, Fox News remains the highest-rated cable news network in total viewership and among adults aged 25-54.
Following Carlson’s departure, Fox News temporarily filled the 8pm slot with “Fox News Tonight,” hosted by a rotating group of Fox News personalities. Now, with Watters taking over the 8pm slot, Laura Ingraham will move her show to the 7pm slot, and late-night host Greg Gutfeld will take over the 10pm slot. Sean Hannity will continue anchoring the 9pm show, the network confirmed.
News based on Malay Mail.
