Fox News host Jesse Watters urged California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) to "slit" former Vice President Kamala Harris' (D-CA) throat during a broadcast [1].
The incident has triggered a massive defamation lawsuit and sparked backlash from viewers, highlighting the escalating volatility of political rhetoric on cable news.
Watters made the comments on his program, "Jesse Watters Primetime," where he described both Harris and Newsom as "commie curious" [1, 2]. He suggested that Newsom needed to be more aggressive in his political approach to avoid being perceived as too cautious [2].
"You gotta take the gloves off," Watters said. "If he starts dancing around 'cause he doesn't wanna offend Blacks or women, that's not gonna cut it. The media's already gonna say you're 'mansplaining' and you're being mean. You gotta slit ..." [2].
Following the broadcast, Watters issued a walk-back and an apology after facing legal pressure [3]. Despite the apology, Gov. Newsom filed a defamation lawsuit in California [4].
Newsom is seeking $787 million in damages from Fox News [4]. The lawsuit follows Watters' claims that Harris and Newsom were promoting socialist or communist policies in the U.S. [1, 2].
Watters' remarks were intended to pressure the politicians by framing their policy positions as radical [1]. However, the specific imagery of physical violence led to widespread condemnation from both critics and some fans of the network [1].
“"You gotta slit..." — Jesse Watters”
This legal battle tests the boundaries between protected political commentary and actionable defamation or incitement. By seeking nearly $787 million, Newsom is attempting to set a high financial deterrent against the use of violent metaphors in political broadcasting, while Fox News will likely argue the statements were hyperbolic opinion rather than factual claims.
