‘Keep Shucking and Jiving’: Gayle King Dragged for Cozying Up with Trump Loyalist Jesse Watters, Who’s Spent Years Tearing Down Black People on Air
Gayle King enjoyed more than just a window seat on a recent flight, and now her fans are in an uproar. The “CBS Mornings” co-anchor incited a flood of criticism when she posted a selfie with her rowmate, and it is someone most people would never expect her to become friends with. King posted a photo seated next to Jesse Watters, the Fox News host of “Jesse Watters Primetime.” They both smiled for the snapshot, which showed the journalists side by side in the last row in an upgraded part of the cabin. Watters was nearly unrecognizable as he wore black-framed glasses and a hat. Gayle King's "Good time" with Fox News Reporter Jesse Watters has people confused about their pairing. (Photos by Marla Aufmuth/Getty Images for Massachusetts Conference for Women; John Lamparski/Getty Images) ‘Should Have Stayed with Her Belief in TRUMP’: Donald Trump Says Gayle King’s ‘Career Is Over’ as Fans Point to One Eerie Contract Detail She Shares with Stephen Colbert King's caption read, “Two TV people from competing networks walk on to a plane and to the surprise of them both, they’re seated right next to each other for over four hours. How did it go? Speaking for @jessewatters here: A good time was had by all! Hi, Jesse…saving your number!” The act of mutual civility set off alarms among her liberal followers. People left comments like, “Why would you even post this?” She was scorned in other messages, such as one that stated, “Read the room Gayle, you should have kept this to yourself.” Among the backlash was a comment that stated, “This woman here. Such an embarrassment and a pick me.” Another response to the “good time” post read, “Keep shucking and jiving Gayle.” A fourth disappointed fan quipped, “At least Jessie was smart enough to not post this,” having noticed his silence about their impromptu meeting. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gayle King (@gayleking) King and Watters stand on opposite sides of the political arena. As a result, only one of them has earned the respect of Donald Trump. Fox News' MAGA-aligned news coverage has included multiple sit-downs between the elected official and Watters. Whereas Oprah Winfrey’s best friend has found herself the target of the president's ire. In August, Trump declared, “Gayle King’s career is over,” in a blistering Truth Social post echoing reports of the networks’ ratings tailspin and speculation about her future with CBS. He continued, “She should have stayed with her belief in TRUMP. She never had the courage to do so. No talent, no ratings, no strength!!” King seemed completely unbothered by his meltdown when a TMZ reporter asked her about his statements. "I'm sorry he feels that way," the media personality said, adding that she enjoys work and would "continue to do a good job." https://t.co/VIdFLrZgqF— Communicator15 (@Talamantez9193) October 21, 2025 Moreover, several social media users were overcome with fury over the newfound pals because of Watters’ inflammatory comment about former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Watters referred to her as “the face of cheap fakes” and said she “swore a DEI blood oath to Joe .” A critic wrote, “The man who called black women dei hires among other totally racist inappropriate GARBAGE? Gayle are you ok?" Oprah Winfrey thanks again for bringing us Racist creeps and making them RICH like Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil, who ranted like a Racist Pig about DEI at Trump’s rally yesterday. Pretty disgusting. @AP pic.twitter.com/nAai80Q5NE— Mr. Reynolds (@MrReynolds52) October 28, 2024 Like her longtime pal, Winfrey has been openly supportive of Democratic presidential nominees like Barack Obama and Kamala Harris. However, two people the mogul helped launch to TV stardom, Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, have fueled her fans’ resentment due to those men’s support of Trump's political agenda.
