Jesse Watters' mockery of Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on Wednesday night came back to haunt him after social media reminded him of his own awkward romantic history. During a segment on "The Five," the Fox News host snidely suggested that the 37-year-old Texas Democrat is both gay and vegan despite no evidence, and hinted that Talarico must be hiding something since he has yet to publicly introduce his as-yet-unidentified girlfriend of four years to voters.
Watters wondered if she even existed before asking rhetorically, "We're gonna find out because, if he wins, are they going to have a coming-out party? Or is she still going to stay the secret girlfriend? And is this totally-not-fake girlfriend also a vegan?"
Sadly for Watters, his mockery of Talarico's personal life didn't hit the way he intended. That's because many people on social media used the attempted Talarico takedown as an excuse to point out Watters' own messy love life — most notably, that he cheated on his first wife with a Fox News producer he wooed by letting the air out of her tires.
One user wrote, "Jesse Watters cheated on his wife and the mother of his two daughters with a Fox News producer. She divorced him and he married the producer. He should sit this one out." Another added, "And you had an affair with your 20-something producer after stalking her, then left your wife and kids for her so..."
Some people thought the focus on Talarico's love life was minor compared to other factors. One commenter noted, "Gas is $4, I don't care about his girlfriend." Another supported Talarico's privacy, saying, "This clip is exactly why he's not revealing her identity. The second he does, they'll go after her too, and she didn't sign up for that."
Others pointed out that Watters has some weird rules about masculinity, including no eating soup. One user recalled, "I just want to remind you that Watters thinks eating soup in public is effeminate. Gestures, symbols. These are for him what manliness is made of."
A few people suggested Watters do a similar takedown on another unmarried politician whose love life isn't public: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). One comment read, "Hey @JesseBWatters ... Lindsey Graham is nearly twice that age and never married." Another said, "Now do Lindsey Graham."
Some people reminded Watters that Ken Paxton, Talarico's Republican opponent, has a long, scandal-ridden past, including being impeached in 2023 for bribery by the Republican-led Texas House of Representatives (though he was later acquitted). One user wrote, "This smells of desperation and bullying. Talarico is a good Christian man and Paxton is an actual criminal." Another added, "The other guy demanded Ten Commandments in public schools while boinking a lady who wasn't his wife."
Watters' rant against Talarico's personal life is one of many attacks attempted against the Texas state representative, who polls suggest may be the Democrats' best chance to get a Senate seat in Texas in decades. For instance, Stephen Miller claimed without evidence that Talarico was the Democrats' "first transgender Senate candidate." Both Paxton and outgoing Texas Sen. John Cornyn have tried to paint Talarico as a vegan, though he says he's not. One Republican strategist tried to smear Talarico by suggesting the time he took a class of school kids on a field trip to the University of Texas when he was a teacher was a sign of something untoward.
