During a recent episode of “The Five” on Fox News, host Jesse Watters found himself at the center of controversy after making remarks about Jennifer Aniston’s appearance. The conversation, initially focused on the topic of women’s looks and former Representative Katie Porter, took an unexpected turn when co-host Greg Gutfeld introduced a provocative notion that ‘people didn’t get attractive until the internet.’ He further added, ‘watch Friends, they’re not even hot!’ This prompted Watters to chime in, suggesting that ‘Jennifer Aniston looks better now, like, 20 years older.’

Watters attempted to clarify his comments as the segment concluded, seemingly backtracking by stating, ‘I actually think Jennifer Aniston was much better looking in Friends, I don’t know why I said that. I think I meant she was more glamorous now.’ These remarks sparked a wave of backlash online, particularly because of Watters’ history of controversial behavior. Notably, he once confessed to deflating the tires of a 25-year-old intern so he could offer her a ride home, a woman he later married despite being married at the time of the incident.

Criticism was swift and severe, with one individual expressing disdain by saying, ‘Not taking opinions from a man who intentionally vandalized a woman’s car so he could have a better chance at having sex with her while he was married.’ Several others on social media echoed similar sentiments, with comments like ‘@JesseBWatters wife has to be a miserable woman,’ and another simply labeling him as ‘a neanderthal.’

And one user nailed the obvious point: ‘Why would they be commenting on someone’s appearance period?’ Even during the segment, it seemed some of Watters’ colleagues were ready to move on from the awkward Aniston discussion. Co-host Harold Ford Jr. tried to cut him off, saying, ‘Why don’t we get on to the next segment?’

But Katie Pavlich wasn’t letting it go, pointing out that Aniston’s current ‘glam’ comes courtesy of her wealth. ‘Money buys a lot of makeover, for everyone,’ she argued. ‘I hope so,’ Watters replied. The conversation about Aniston’s looks originally kicked off with Gutfeld joking about former Rep. Katie Porter, who has made headlines for several public outbursts, calling her a ‘hero’ for resisting society’s pressure to get a makeover.

‘I admire her, because we’re living in the age of appearances, we’re always on camera, we film everything, TVs are high def, and she is resisting the makeover. She is saying, “I will never, ever change who I am.” She is a hero,’ Gutfeld quipped. He continued, reflecting on the pre-internet era: ‘Back in the 1970s, everybody looked like Katie Porter.

‘We did not have YouTube instructional videos about how to straighten your hair, how to pop a zit, all we had was Clearasil, Stridex, Aquanet and Seabreeze, and none of it works. ‘She was every woman at a singles bar, she was your friend’s mom and she was 30.’ Back in April 2022, Watters made a bizarre on-air admission, saying that he deflated the car tires of a 25-year-old colleague in order to be in a position where he could offer her a ride home.

Watters, who was 39 at the time and already married, also said that the woman in question was Emma DiGiovina – who ultimately became his second wife. The two were married in December 2019. ‘When I was trying to get Emma to date me, first thing I did, let the air out of her tires,’ he said with a smile. ‘She couldn’t go anywhere, she needed a lift,’ Watters said. ‘I said “Hey you need a lift?” She got right into the car,’ he bragged.

After his co-hosts expressed surprise, Watters claimed that his wife was unaware of his antics to this day. Watters then appeared to justify the trick by stating that the pair are now married. ‘It has a happy ending,’ Watters declared. Another of his colleagues then asked if he had taken the air out of other women’s cars in order to get them into his own – to which he implied that he may well have done.

‘Is that the first time you did it, or did you use that before?’ Jeannine Pirro inquired. ‘It works like a charm!’ he bragged. The incident apparently occurred in 2018, when Watters was divorcing his first wife Noelle Watters – who is mother to his two daughters. At the time, he was already in a working relationship with DiGiovine, an associate producer who worked at Fox News. When Watters and DiGiovine told bosses they were in a relationship together, she was switched to a different program on the network.

A Fox News spokesperson said at the time that Watters and ‘a woman on his staff’ told the network in 2017 that they were in a relationship. Fox News has been enveloped in sexual misconduct scandals in recent years, including various allegations that led to the resignation of longtime CEO Roger Ailes in 2016. Ailes was accused of repeatedly harassing female employees, including anchor Gretchen Carlson, whose lawsuit helped trigger his ouster.