Jesse Watters Primetime is the latest Fox News juggernaut in the 8 PM ET timeslot. It follows the long history of shows hosted by the likes of Bill O’Reilly and Tucker Carlson in the network’s long history of ratings winners.
It’s clear that Fox News values that window. But does the Watters-led program live up to the billing expected of the timeslot?
I set out to find that out by watching a recent episode of the program to get a feel for why the show is one of the top-rated — and sometimes the top-rated — shows in not just cable news, but cable television as a whole.
Truthfully, I was prompted to review an episode of Jesse Watters Primetime after his bombastic apology to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) last week. For the uninitiated, Newsom launched a defamation lawsuit aimed at Fox News and host Jesse Watters for what he labeled as lies shared by the network. The lawsuit sought a symbolic $787.5 million from the network, the same figure it paid Dominion Voting Systems to settle a lawsuit about the validity of the 2020 presidential election.
On his show last week, Watters apologized for his remarks after Newsom said he’d consider dropping the suit if he received an on-air apology.
But, in true Jesse Watters fashion, it wasn’t exactly heartfelt.
“We thought the dispute was about whether there had been a call at all, not when,” Watters began. “We thought that the governor was clear when he said — without qualification — that there was no call.
“Now, Newsom’s telling us what was in his head when he wrote the tweet. He didn’t deceive anybody on purpose, so I’m sorry. He wasn’t lying, he was just confusing and unclear. Next time, Governor, why don’t you just say what you mean?”
And that’s why I wanted to watch the program for this review. Because if I have a gripe about the news media — especially cable news television and news/talk radio — it’s that many hosts forget that they’re supposed to be entertaining. That, sometimes, the subject matter is so ridiculous and preposterous that treating it with the seriousness of legitimate news stories or tragedies is a disservice to the viewer or listener.
So, I tuned into Friday’s show specifically because I wanted to see how Jesse Watters discussed the news that CBS was ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
And I didn’t make it through the first sentence of his monologue without saying “Wait, what?”
“Late-night talk shows used to be an oasis for American families to come together at the end of the day and enjoy a laugh with the rest of the country,” Watters said as he began Friday’s show.
Wait, what?
Families came together to watch late-night television? Maybe I’m in the minorty, but I don’t believe moms and dads sat down with little Timmy and Suzie at 11:35 PM ET to see Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon chat it up with the biggest Hollywood stars, just like I don’t believe moms and dads sat down with little Xander and McKinleigh to watch Stephen Colbert or Jimmy Fallon, either.
One sentence in and Jesse Watters is already spitting out poppycock.
As his monologue continued, Watters said that CBS had promised that Stephen Colbert would be a late-night host “for all Americans.” He then played a clip of then-CBS executive Les Moonves…not saying that at all.
Watters then added that the ratings had fallen off for Colbert compared to the final year of David Letterman’s tenure hosting The Late Show. Totally true. Letterman’s final year featured an average audience of roughly 3 million viewers, while Colbert’s show routinely finishes with roughly 2 million viewers.
But comparing network TV ratings from 2014 to 2025 isn’t exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, either. It’s a fallacy to claim otherwise. And I think Jesse Watters knows that. Or at least I hope he does. But why let facts get in the way of a good story, am I right?
Watters did have a poignant point about Colbert’s choice of guests, saying, “If Adam Schiff is a regular, you shouldn’t be shocked when the bosses pull the plug.”
As the monologue continued, I felt struck by the same feeling I get when watching several other cable news shows: that opening segments feature an over-reliance on outside media. This is not an exaggeration: in the first nine minutes of his show on Friday evening, Jesse Watters featured 15 clips from other shows, podcasts, etc…FIFTEEN! 15 times the screen shifted away from the star of the show to give time to the likes of David Letterman, Stephen Colbert, Adam Schiff, Joe Scarborough, Chuck Todd, Joy Reid, and Charlamagne tha God. I’m not sure how the argument can be “All of these libs are unimportant and irrelevant” while simultaneously showcasing their opinions on your highly-rated show.
While I appreciate Watters’ ability to be sarcastic and lean toward satire, because I think there’s a desperate need for that style of show in the cable news ecosystem, I found his opinions to be as expected. Nothing in the show truly made me say, “Holy cow, I can’t believe he just said that.” That’s not a problem in his show, by the way, it’s true for many in the genre.
But when I instinctively know what’s about to be said in any given show, that doesn’t give me much reason to tune into the program now, does it? Jesse Watters Primetime felt by the book. It felt safe. There wasn’t anything groundbreaking, new, or all that interesting about the hourlong show, in my eyes.
And why should there be, truthfully? The formula works. It was your run-of-the-mill cable news show. “My side? Good. The other side? Traitorous.” Millions tune in every night to hear Watters attack half of Americans, the same charges he lobbied against Stephen Colbert. And in spite of that, the show is a cable news giant, whether I left impressed by Watters or not.
But the question I often wonder about Fox News hosts is if their shows are actually good or if you could put anyone on the network and it would perform due to the brand recognition and fan base it has built. Because when I look around at competitors, I often see better monologues, better interviews, and better discussions.
But I don’t see better results elsewhere. Fox News dominates the cable news space. But I think Fox News dominates the cable news space more than Jesse Watters Primetime does. And that makes all the difference in my eyes.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
