Jesse Watters’ first primetime show on Fox News fell well short of the traditional viewership achieved by fired host Tucker Carlson in the coveted 8 p.m. time slot.
45-year-old Watters, Fox’s choice to replace hot-tempered Carlson in the crucial slot, had 800,000 fewer viewers than his predecessor.
Jesse Watter’s primetime, which premiered Monday night, drew 2.4 million viewers, compared to Carlson’s usual 3.2 million.
Watters, who already hosts the popular weekday show The Five, used his first night to talk about Hunter Biden, the discovery of cocaine in the White House and transgender rights.
It was Watters’ first 8 p.m. show since Carlson, 54, was fired from the network in April, just days after Fox settled its $787.5 million lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over defamation allegations surrounding the 2020 presidential election had.
Although Carlson’s loyal following didn’t all follow Watters’ show, he easily outperformed his peers on CNN and MSNBC, according to ratings data compiled by Nielsen.
All In with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes had 1.222 million viewers Monday and CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 had 668,222 viewers.
Watter’s debut in the 8 p.m. slot also saw a 37 percent increase in ratings compared to the weeks since Carlson’s firing and the use of a series of temporary hosts.
At one point, Watter’s mom called out on the show to warn her son about falling into “conspiracy rabbit holes.”
“Don’t fall down any conspiracy rabbit holes. “We don’t want to lose you and we don’t want lawsuits,” said his mother Anne, a clinical psychologist.
“In keeping with the Hippocratic Oath: do no harm.” We need you to be kind and respectful.
“Use your voice responsibly to encourage conversation that maintains a narrative thread.” There really has been enough Biden bashing and the laptop is old. “Perhaps you could suggest that your people be less interested and talk about other people’s bodies,” she added.
Jesse Watter’s prime time, which premiered last night, attracted 2.4 million viewers, compared to Carlson’s usual 3.2 million
The former star recently announced that he will be releasing a new version of his show on Twitter
The 8 p.m. slot has traditionally been the busiest channel on cable news and has been a headache for Fox News since Carlson’s departure.
The former star has since released a new version of his show on Twitter, despite a deal with Fox that runs until 2025.
In a three-minute video announcing his new show, titled “We’re Back,” posted to his own Twitter page in May, the controversial cable star slammed the mainstream media, saying that anyone trying to tell the truth say is eliminated.
Prior to the announcement, Carlson’s powerful attorneys sent an aggressive letter to Fox arguing that the $25 million non-compete clause in his contract was no longer valid, which in turn would allow him to launch a competing show or media company to start.
In the video, Carlson, 53, told his followers: “We’re going to be releasing a new version of the show that we’ve been doing for six and a half years on Twitter very soon.”
“We’re also bringing a few other things that we’re going to tell you guys.” But for now, we’re just grateful to be here. Freedom of expression is the most important right you have. Without there there are no others.’
“The best thing anyone can hope for in the news business right now is the freedom to speak the widest possible truth, but there are always limits,” Carlson told fans.
“If you hit those limits often enough, you’ll get fired for it.” That’s not a guess, that’s a guarantee.”
It has also been reported that Carlson wants to start his own media organization.
Carlson is planning the deal with Neil Patel, a former policy adviser to Dick Cheney, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
The couple, who met as roommates at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, want to take on longer versions of the free videos the social media platform offers.
Carlson’s team has been meeting with Twitter officials over the past few weeks to discuss their plans, the Journal reported.
Conservative commentators, including fellow former Fox News hosts Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Reilly, are increasingly looking to subscriber-funded long-format video as a lucrative business opportunity.