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Jesse Watters refuses to issue apology over sexual slur against Kamala Harris: Is his job as Fox News host in trouble?
Fox News host Jesse Watters was forced to resort to desperate damage control tactics following allegations that he made a sexist remark about Kamala Harris.
Fox News host Jesse Watters was forced to resort to desperate damage control tactics last night following allegations that he made a sexist remark about US Vice President Kamala Harris.
He is facing calls for resignation after stating that Harris would be “paralyzed” by generals who “would have their way” with her in the Situation Room at the White House.
The 46-year-old defended his remarks against the US VP and rejected allegations that he made any sexual remarks about her even after being criticised live on air by his The Five co-hosts Dana Perino and Jeanine Pirro. At the time, Watters asserted that he was merely speaking “figuratively,” and “not in a sexual way.”
Tuesday saw Watters come under fire from both political parties, with Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff's ex-wife Kerstin expressing their outrage at his remarks. Blasting the Fox News anchor, Comstock claimed Watters' “misogyny” toward Harris was “intentional”.
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Jesse Watters refuses to issue apology amid resignation calls
In the past, Watters received flak on multiple occasions, including for cheating on his first wife with a junior Fox colleague. He refused to issue an apology last night on The Five, but he attempted to justify his comments.
“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 stated during the show.
“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,” the Fox News host added.
Watters made the contentious remark while talking about foreign policy and critiquing Harris for what he saw as a lack of qualifications.
Several social media users denounced the Fox News host's comment as awful, sexist, misogynistic, offensive and filthy, and demanded that he should be fired.
American writer Yashar Ali shared a video of the incident on social media, asking, “'Would Watters use this sexualized language when describing a straight man? He likely wouldn't!”
After Tucker Carlson was fired in July of last year, Watters was given the 8 p.m. primetime slot. He is known for making divisive remarks regarding women.
In 2019, he alleged that women journalists sleep with sources “all the time”. Later in 2022, he claimed Harris was experiencing a “typical female problem” in her role as vice president.
Fox News is yet to issue any official statement on his remarks amidst growing calls for his resignation.
