Jesse Watters has ancestral ties to Ireland through his father’s lineage, and he is named after his maternal great-grandfather, Jesse Andrew Burnett, who served as an associate chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court.
Raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jesse is the son of Stephen Hapgood Watters, a teacher, and child psychologist Anne Purvis. His maternal side has a notable family background, with his grandfather Morton Bailey, Jr. being the publisher of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, and his maternal great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, Morton Bailey and Morton S. Bailey respectively, being prominent figures in publishing and politics.
On his paternal side, Jesse’s grandfather, Franklin Benjamin Watters, was a cardiologist at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Newington, Connecticut, and a professor at the University of Connecticut Medical Dental School. Additionally, he is the nephew of New Hampshire state senator David H. Watters.
Growing up in Germantown and East Falls neighborhoods, Jesse attended the William Penn Charter School until his family moved to Long Island, New York, during his junior year. He completed his undergraduate studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, earning a B.A. in history in 2001.
Jesse Watters embarked on his career by joining Fox News as a production assistant after graduation. Over the years, he transitioned to on-air roles, starting with appearances on The O’Reilly Factor in 2004.
Known for his distinctive “man-on-the-street” interviews, featured in the segment “Watters’ World,” he eventually spun off into his own show in 2015. This segment became a weekly show in January 2017, and in April 2017, he became a co-host of the roundtable series The Five.
In 2021, Jesse published his first book, titled “How I Saved the World.” His hosting responsibilities expanded in January 2022 when he became the host of “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
What nationality is Jesse Watters?
Jesse Watters, who was born on July 9, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, is American by nationality.