On Tuesday, Fox News critic Jesse Watters attacked the Left for hissing President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, but ended his comments with a very lewd joke. “I really liked how she was speaking into that microphone,” he said, reportedly with a slight up-and-down hand motion.
On Wednesday, he announced he would be taking a “vacation” until Monday.
Commentators on both the Left and the Right attacked Watters for his comments.
“Jesse Waters [sic] complains the Left doesn’t respect Ivanka Trump and then in front of 2.5 million people intimates Ivanka was blowing her mike,” Commentary Editor John Podhoretz tweeted.
Jesse Waters complains the Left doesn't respect Ivanka Trump and then in front of 2.5 million people intimates Ivanka was blowing her mike.
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) April 26, 2017
He later added that “Jesse Watters is everything I loathe about everything,” and he further insisted that Watters is “a disgusting pig as well as being a racist moron.”
On the liberal side, MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski addressed Watters’ network: “FOX, clean it up. Microphone comments? Comments on hosts dresses? Get rid of those who cannot measure up.”
FOX, clean it up. Microphone comments? Comments on hosts dresses? Get rid of those who cannot measure up. #enough #stepup #blatant #shame
— Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) April 26, 2017
Watters, for his part, insisted there was nothing sexual about his comments. “On air I was referring to Ivanka’s voice and how it resonates like a smooth jazz radio DJ. This was in no way a joke about anything else,” he declared.
On air I was referring to Ivanka's voice and how it resonates like a smooth jazz radio DJ. This was in no way a joke about anything else.
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) April 26, 2017
Even conservative outlets like RightWingNews and The Daily Caller weren’t buying it, however.
A few people did defend him. “Will public now see lewd comments & sexual harassment in EVERYTHING? This will make it harder for real victims,” one Twitter user argued.
https://twitter.com/ozark_lady/status/857591163435360256
A source familiar with Fox’s inner workings told The Daily Caller that Watters’ unannounced trip “can’t be a good sign.”
The Watters scandal comes shortly after Fox News’ CEO Roger Ailes kicked off a series of sex scandals and resigned last summer. After a New York Times exposé about Fox host Bill O’Reilly settling multiple sexual assault lawsuits, advertisers left O’Reilly’s show, and even though President Donald Trump defended him, O’Reilly left the network — with a cushy payout. Over this past weekend, Sean Hannity also came under fire, although his accuser lacked credibility.
O’Reilly and his defenders claimed that this was an orchestrated attack to destroy Fox News. In Hannity’s case, that seems possible — if it isn’t just an attempt to grab money and the spotlight on behalf of accusers like Debbie Schlussel.
Watch Jesse Watters’ video below. What do you think? Is he making a lewd cringe-worthy joke worth getting fired for, or is this just another liberal attempt to destroy Fox News?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGt4DmhM04s
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