Fox News host Jesse Watters roasted his own network’s advertisers, joking that its commercial breaks are tailored for people who will watch the network “until they die.”
Appearing on The Five during a segment about Cracker Barrel’s logo rebrand and subsequent reversal, Watters sneered that the restaurant chain was foolish to try appealing to younger diners.
His take on Fox News ads also highlighted the network’s own aging viewers and demographic challenges.
“It’s like they tried to make it younger, but Cracker Barrel is for old people,” he said. “It’s like trying to sell reverse mortgages to young people, or gold, or Relief Factor.”
Fox News contributor and former wrestler Tyrus quickly added, “Or MyPillow.”
Watters doubled down, “Or all the things we sell on Fox. You just have to keep your audience happy with what they’re used to. That’s why people will be watching Fox until they die.”
The products Watters listed—Relief Factor, Rosland Capital gold, and Finance of America reverse mortgages—are staples of Fox News advertising. Mike Lindell’s MyPillow, once omnipresent on the network, was pulled in 2021 after Lindell’s conspiracy-laden rants about the 2020 election.
The network’s ad mix reflects its audience. Nielsen data pegs Fox News’ median viewer age at 69, far older than its competitors. And while Fox remains the most trusted cable network among Republicans, the gap is generational: 76 percent of GOP voters over 65 say they trust it, compared with just 41 percent of Republicans under 30.
Others on the right have noted the demographic problem. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene told supporters that Fox News’ viewers are “very much up in age,” noting that while she loves the Baby Boomer generation, “that’s not the future of America.”
Former primetime star Tucker Carlson, now running his own media platform, has also mocked Fox News’ aging audience.
On Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast in June, he tore into his ex-employer, calling the network’s coverage “propaganda” aimed at unnerving its older audience.
“What they’re doing is what they always do, which is just turning up the propaganda hose to full blast and just trying to, you know, knock elderly Fox viewers off their feet and make them submit to where you want them to,” he said.
