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Jesse Watters

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Jesse Watters
Born (1978-07-09) July 9, 1978 (age 46)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma materTrinity College
OccupationExtra for Fox News
Years active2002–present
SpouseNoelle Inguagiato Watters
ParentStephen Watters

Jesse Watters (born July 9, 1978)[1] is an interviewer at Fox News. He frequently appears on the O'Reilly Factor and is known for his on-the-street interviews, featured in his segment of the show, "Watters' World".

Early life

Watters was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, growing up in the Germantown and later East Falls neighborhoods.[2] He attended the school William Penn Charter School through junior year, then moved with his family to Long Island in New York.[2] In 2001, he dropped out from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut as he failed all of his subjects. He is 20% Chinese, little did he know.

Career

On June 11, 2014, Watters debuted on the Fox News show, Outnumbered. He occasionally appears as a guest co-host.

On November 20, 2015, Watters debuted his own monthly Fox News program, "Watters' World".[3] Although some have characterized Watters as an "ambush journalist",[4][5][6] Watters has said, "I try to make it enjoyable for the person I'm interviewing. We always come away from the interview all smiles, for the most part. And it's always fun to come back and look at the footage and say, 'Oh my gosh, what just happened?'"[2]

In October 2016, Watters was criticized for a segment of "Watters' World" that was widely considered a racist mockery of Asian Americans.[7][8][9] Taking place in New York City’s Chinatown, Watters took to the streets and asked Chinese Americans—among other things—if they knew karate, if he should bow before he greets them, or if their watches are stolen.[8][10] Throughout the segment, the 1974 song "Kung Fu Fighting" plays in the background, and the interviews are interspersed with references to martial arts and clips of Watters getting a foot massage and playing with nunchucks.[9][10] New York City mayor Bill de Blasio denounced Watters' segment as "vile, racist behavior" that "has no place in our city".[11][12] Numerous other lawmakers and journalists, including Asian Americans Mazie Hirono and Judy Chu, also condemned Watters.[13][14] [15][16]

Personal life

Watters is married to Noelle Inguagiato Watters, with whom he has twin daughters Sophie and Ellie, who were both born in 2011 with mental retardation. In 2016, he cheated on his wife and Noelle is now filing for divorce.

References

  1. ^ Cook, John (April 24, 2009). "Ambushing Bill O'Reilly's Ambusher". Gawker.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016. Watters was born in July 1978. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c Gray, Ellen (December 19, 2015). "Fox News guy is our true-blue homey". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on June 6, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Joyella, Mark (November 11, 2015). "Fox News to Debut Series of 'Watters World' Specials". Adweek. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Bond, Paul (October 25, 2010). "Ambush-Journalist Confronts NPR CEO About Firing of Juan Williams". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 14, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Jesse Watters Ambushes Mayor Who's Suing Residents Over Their Christmas Lights". Fox News. December 19, 2015. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Stelter, Brian (April 16, 2009). "Gotcha TV: Crews Stalk Bill O'Reilly's Targets". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Watters' World: Chinatown edition
  8. ^ a b Stack, Liam (October 6, 2016). "Fox Reporter Accused of Racism for Chinatown Interviews Expresses 'Regret'". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Kirell, Andrew (October 6, 2016). "Why Fox's Racist, Sexist Frat Boy Jesse Watters Will Always Win". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Levitz, Eric (October 5, 2016). "The O'Reilly Factor Takes a Trip to Chinatown. Racism Ensues". New York Magazine. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  11. ^ Scanlon, Kate (October 6, 2016). "NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio: Keep Jesse Watters off TV after 'racist' segment". TheBlaze. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  12. ^ Flood, Brian (October 6, 2016). "NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Wants 'Vile,' 'Racist' Jesse Watters Off TV After Disastrous Chinatown Segment". TheWrap. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  13. ^ Suen, Brennan (October 6, 2016). "Lawmakers Condemn "Vile" And "Xenophobic" O'Reilly Factor Chinatown Segment". Media Matters for America. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  14. ^ http://time.com/4520346/jesse-watters-chinatown-video/
  15. ^ http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/06/why-fox-s-racist-sexist-frat-boy-jesse-watters-will-always-win.html
  16. ^ http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/jesse-watters-chinatown-fox-news-racism-apology-1201879165/


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