The holidays are a time for family gatherings, awkward conversations, and maybe a bit of political tension. But if you’re Jesse Watters, host of Fox News, it turns out Thanksgiving dinner is officially off the table—courtesy of his own mom. And yes, the clip is going viral.
You might remember Watters from the time he suggested that his wife secretly voting for Kamala Harris was as devastating as her having an affair. He said, “That violates the sanctity of our marriage,” and the internet’s collective jaw dropped. Well, Jesse is back in the spotlight, and this time it’s his mom calling the shots—or rather, setting the guest list.
On a recent segment of his Fox News show, Jesse shared his own personal Thanksgiving tale while discussing how some liberal families are skipping over their Trump-supporting relatives for holiday invites. Apparently, Watters wasn’t just reporting; he was living it. He announced, “People are taking some space in the Watters household. I’ll have you know that I was not invited to my mother’s house for Thanksgiving. Apparently, there wasn’t enough room.”
To make it even more awkward, Jesse added that his mom eventually extended a “consolation invite” for Black Friday, which he declined, quipping, “No thanks, I’ll be at Best Buy.” Cue the turkey-less, flat-screen TV jokes.
A clip of Jesse’s admission made its way onto X (formerly known as Twitter), where it quickly racked up over 4.1 million views. The public response? Let’s just say Mama Watters has an army of supporters. The overwhelming sentiment online seems to be: “We get it, Anne. We’d probably do the same.”
For those wondering if this is just another bit of hyperbole from Jesse, it’s worth mentioning that his mother, Anne Watters, has a bit of a history of keeping her son in check. She’s a staunch Democrat, and it’s not the first time her political stance has made an appearance on her son’s show. Earlier this year, Jesse shared a text from her celebrating Trump’s indictment on 34 felony counts. And let’s not forget the time she called into his show, telling him, “Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes. We don’t want to lose you and we want no lawsuits.”
Anne Watters didn’t stop there, either. She went full Mom Mode on live TV, cautioning him to “be kind and respectful” and to use his voice to “promote conversation that maintains a narrative thread.” Basically, she reminded him—with all the subtlety only a mom can muster—that maybe he should consider topics beyond conspiracy theories and other people’s bodies. And honestly, the internet loved it.
It’s unclear if Jesse and his mom will be making amends by Christmas, but one thing’s for sure: Anne Watters isn’t afraid to keep her son in line, even if it means an empty chair at Thanksgiving dinner. And judging by the reactions online, she’s got more than a few people ready to give her a high-five for it.
