Fox News anchor Jesse Watters sparked controversy on Monday when he declared he didn’t find former Vice President Kamala Harris “hot” during a panel discussion about physical attractiveness and Democratic presidential candidates.
The remarks came during the March 23, 2025 broadcast of “The Five,” when panelists dissected a Bulwark article suggesting Democrats want more physically attractive candidates on their ballots. Co-host Emily Compagno kicked off the segment by airing a clip from “Andy Cohen Live” featuring guest Jennifer Welch, who said she “wants a hot president.”
Former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino initially praised Harris’s appearance, calling her “an objectively beautiful person.” Perino also questioned why female Democrats weren’t pushing for women candidates, asking, “Where is the girlhood?”
Watters then interjected with his controversial assessment. “I have to disagree with Dana. I didn’t think Kamala was hot,” Watters stated during the broadcast. When pressed, he doubled down: “I don’t know. I mean, she was okay. But if we’re talking hot, she’s not hot.”
Greg Gutfeld pushed back slightly, responding that Harris “was attractive,” while Perino clarified she had called the former Vice President “beautiful,” not “hot.”
Democratic Party political strategist Jessica Tarlov, who serves as a co-host on the program, dismissed the entire exchange as “ridiculous.” She noted that Democrats are simply “talking like normal people” and cited other prominent Democratic women she considered attractive, including AOC and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The segment represents the latest in a series of controversial comments Watters has made about Harris. In 2024, he said the former Vice President would “get paralyzed in the Situation Room while the generals have their way with her.” His co-hosts Jeanine Pirro and Dana Perino immediately condemned the remarks on-air. Watters later claimed the comments were not meant to be “of a sexual nature,” though he stopped short of a full apology.
The discussion comes as Harris ramps up her activity within Democratic politics following her 2024 presidential campaign loss to President Donald Trump. According to CNN, the former Vice President plans to appear at fundraisers for the North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia state parties the week of April 13, 2026. She will then deliver a keynote address at the Arkansas Democrats’ annual Fisher Shackelford Dinner in Little Rock on April 25, 2026—her first major keynote speech since the 2024 election.
These April appearances follow her speech on last Friday at the National Women’s Law Center annual gala in Washington, where she continued positioning herself as a voice for Democratic causes. Conversations about similar stops through the summer and fall are already underway.
Harris’s geographic choices for her April swing mirror elements of her 2020 campaign strategy. Her team then pursued what they called an “SEC strategy,” hoping to win delegates among heavily Black primary electorates in Southern states to counter expected weaker showings elsewhere. That campaign ended with Harris dropping out over a month before the first contest.
The former Vice President is now wrapping up a six-month national tour promoting her campaign memoir, “107 Days.” She passed on entering the California governor’s race when the book was published in September 2025, saying she wanted to take a break from government. Harris has recorded ads for the Democratic National Committee and for Virginia Democrats’ ballot proposition scheduled for April 21, 2026. She endorsed Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Senate Democratic primary and has been in touch with recent primary winners including James Talarico, Juliana Stratton in Illinois, and Scott Colom in Mississippi.
The Fox News segment drew immediate criticism, with observers accusing the network of reducing political discourse to commentary on women’s physical appearances. The incident also reignited debate about how media coverage treats female politicians differently than their male counterparts.
Watters continued in the segment to make broader observations about television’s role in politics, noting that before TV, politicians were “old fat guys with no hair, with like mutton chop sideburns.” He then made inflammatory comments suggesting Democrats had shifted from seeking diverse representation to prioritizing physical attractiveness, calling it “progress.”
While speculation swirls about whether Harris will mount another presidential campaign in 2028, she has made no formal decision about a repeat run. Even other prospective 2028 Democratic candidates are beginning to ask around for intel on her plans. For now, the former Vice President appears focused on supporting Democratic candidates in upcoming elections and maintaining her presence within the party through speaking engagements and fundraising events as the 2026 midterm elections approach.
Sources:
TV Insider
CNN
