Jesse Watters on Filling Tucker Carlson’s Slot: ‘I’m Not Going To Go Out and Chase Ratings’

Jesse Watters promised his style is not going to change even as he takes over Fox News' much-coveted 8 p.m. EST time slot, an hour previously occupied by Tucker Carlson.

Watters is one of multiple changes to Fox's evening lineup. While his show is moving up an hour, Laura Ingraham is occupying his old time slot at 7 p.m. (she was previously on at 10 p.m.), Greg Gutfeld's Gutfeld! is moving an hour earlier to 10 p.m., and Sean Hannity is remaining at his 9 p.m. perch.

The new schedule begins Monday evening.

Speaking with USA Today ahead of his first show, Watters promised to give audiences the same show he's been running in the 7 p.m. hour.

"I'm not competing against Tucker; I'm not competing against anyone. I'm not going to go out and chase ratings. I'm not going to try to reinvent the wheel. We've been very successful at 7:00. The show is not going to change," he said. "I'm not going to change."

Carlson and Fox News severed their relationship in April and Carlson's former time slot has taken an approximate 30% dip in the ratings as a rotation of guest hosts have been brought in to fill in the seat, though the network has remained on top of its competitors in all categories overall.

Watters is a face plenty familiar to Fox fans. On top of Jesse Watters Primetime, he also co-hosts The Five. He first made a name for himself at the network hosting offbeat Watters' World segments for "The O'Reilly Factor."

Watters would use his sometimes humorous, sometimes combative style to cover odd culture stories like Charlie Sheen's headline-grabbing Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour in 2011. He first began at the network as a production assistant in 2004.

"I'm not nasty; I'm brutally honest. In cable TV you have to be blunt, concise, direct, and go right to the bone. I might be controversial in the mainstream media, but a lot of Americans don't see me as controversial. A lot of Americans think of me as right," Watters said.

Ingraham previously spoke to The Messenger about occupying Watters' old time slot, saying it gives her a chance to get "the first bite of the apple and opinion" for the night.