Event With Fox Host Causes ‘Epic Meltdown’ at Insurance Conference: Report

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is set to helm the network’s 8 p.m. hour as Tucker Carlson’s replacement beginning next month, made an offensive joke questioning the gender of Vice President Kamala Harris at an insurance conference in April, CNN reported Thursday. The comment—apparently made humorously—didn’t go over well with some executives in attendance, a number of whom walked out, according to people familiar with what happened. One person described what followed as “an epic meltdown,” according to the network. John Costello, the chairman of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, spoke out against Watters’ comment, which he had made during an interview with the association’s retiring president, Bob Rusbuldt. “The association acted quickly and decisively following the incident, and the interview session conducted at our event does not reflect the culture and values of the Big I,” Costello said in a statement. A Fox News spokesperson told CNN that Watters didn’t remember the comment, and claimed that the interview “was well received with executives thanking him profusely afterward.”