Jesse Watters, who joined the network in 2002, will host the channel’s primetime evening slot.
Image source, Getty ImagesFox News has announced that long-time network personality Jesse Watters will replace ousted star Tucker Carlson.
The departure of Carlson, the most-watched cable news host in US history, has led to a downturn in the channel’s primetime ratings.
Watters, 44, joined the network as a production assistant in 2002 and has anchored the 19:00 EDT (23:00 GMT) timeslot since the start of this year.
Fox News said in April that it was parting ways with Carlson.
The announcement came less than a week after the network settled a defamation lawsuit from the voting machine company Dominion over coverage of the 2020 presidential election.
The $787.5m (£619m) settlement narrowly averted a potentially embarrassing trial for Fox, and one at which Carlson was expected to be called to testify.
Carlson, 54, has since launched a new show he presents twice weekly on Twitter. Its first episode, on 6 June, has racked up nearly 120 million views.
Tucker Carlson Tonight drew upwards of three million daily viewers, regularly topping its cable competitors in the 20:00 hour.
Earlier this month, Fox sent Carlson a cease-and-desist letter, arguing that his new show was a breach of contract as he is still being paid by the network until the end of 2024.
Since his show was taken off air, a series of rotating hosts – including Watters – have anchored the timeslot, drawing roughly half of Carlson’s audience.
Earlier in June, the network briefly lost its 120-week streak at the top of the primetime ratings to liberal rival MSNBC, although it has since reclaimed the spot.
This video can not be played
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Watters, best known for his man-on-the-street interviews in New York City, is co-host of the popular roundtable show The Five.
His instalment in Carlson’s old timeslot comes amid a broader shake-up in the channel’s nightly line-up.
Laura Ingraham, who hosts The Ingraham Angle, is moving to the 19:00 hour, while popular late-night host Greg Gutfeld will take over at 22:00, the network announced on Monday.
Sean Hannity, a primetime Fox anchor for more than two decades, will see his show remain in the 21:00 slot, the network said.