Fox News host Jesse Watters drew backlash on March 23 after saying he did not find former Vice President Kamala Harris “hot” during a panel conversation about attractiveness and Democratic presidential contenders.
The exchange happened on the March 23 episode of “The Five,” where panelists reacted to a Bulwark piece arguing Democrats prefer more conventionally attractive candidates. Co-host Emily Compagno introduced the topic with a clip from “Andy Cohen Live” that included Jennifer Welch saying she “wants a hot president.”
Former House Press Secretary Dana Perino initially complimented Harris’ looks, calling her “an objectively beautiful person.” Perino also questioned why female Democrats weren’t promoting other women, asking, “Where is the girlhood?”
Watters interrupted: “I have to disagree with Dana. I didn’t think Kamala was hot,” Watters stated during the show. When pushed, he reiterated, “I don’t know. I mean, she was okay. But if we’re talking hot, she’s not hot.”
Greg Gutfeld offered a mild rebuttal, saying Harris “was attractive,” and Perino emphasized she had used the word “beautiful,” not “hot.”
Democratic strategist and co-host Jessica Tarlov dismissed the back-and-forth as “ridiculous.” She argued Democrats were having a normal conversation and named other Democratic women she found appealing, including AOC and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
This segment is the most recent in a series of contentious comments Watters has made about Harris. In 2024, he claimed the former vice president would become paralyzed in the Situation Room while generals took advantage—remarks that Jeanine Pirro and Dana Perino immediately criticized on air. Watters later said he did not mean his words sexually, though he did not fully apologize.
The discussion comes as Harris increases her involvement in Democratic politics after losing the 2024 presidential race to President Donald Trump. She is scheduled to attend fundraisers for the North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia state parties the week of April 13, 2026, and will give a keynote address at the Arkansas Democrats’ annual Fisher Shackelford Dinner in Little Rock on April 25, the same night as the White House correspondents’ dinner, which President Trump has said he will attend for the first time, her first major keynote since 2024. The Arkansas event sold out in just three hours after the announcement was made, according to the state Democratic Party.
These April appearances follow her address last Friday at the National Women’s Law Center annual gala in Washington, where she continued to champion Democratic priorities.
Harris’ choice of states for the April swing echoes parts of her 2020 strategy. Her team then pursued what they called an “Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strategy,” targeting delegate-rich Black electorates in Southern primaries to offset weaker prospects elsewhere. That campaign ended with Harris dropping out more than a month before the first contest.
She is also finishing a six-month national tour to promote her memoir, “107 Days.” After the book’s September 2025 release, she opted not to run for California governor, saying she needed a break from public office. Harris has recorded ads for the Democratic National Committee and for a Virginia Democratic ballot measure set for April 21, 2026. She endorsed Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Senate Democratic primary and has spoken with recent primary winners, including James Talarico, Juliana Stratton in Illinois, and Scott Colom in Mississippi.
The Fox News exchange prompted immediate criticism, with many saying the network reduced political debate to remarks about women’s looks. The incident also revived conversations about disparate media treatment of female politicians compared with men.
Watters went on in the segment to comment more broadly about television’s impact on politics, noting that before TV, politicians tended to be “old fat guys with no hair, with like mutton chop sideburns.” He then suggested Democrats had moved from emphasizing diversity to prioritizing attractiveness, calling that change “progress.”
A March 2026 survey by the Public Sentiment Institute found 16.7 percent of registered Democrats backed Harris for 2028, placing her second behind former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 18.4 percent. Other potential Democratic candidates are quietly trying to learn her plans. For now, she appears focused on supporting Democratic candidates through speaking engagements and fundraising as the 2026 midterms near.
