Fox News’ Jesse Watters “visibly tensed up” Thursday at the mention of a progressive journalist he got into a physical altercation with roughly a decade ago – one who, by some accounts, got the better of him, multiple journalists said.
Appearing Thursday on Fox News’ “The Five,” Democratic strategist Jessica Tarlov flagged new reporting that suggested two of President Donald Trump’s top Middle East negotiators – Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff – were exploiting U.S.-Iran peace negotiations for their own personal financial gain. The claim was first published in Drop Site News, an independent outlet co-founded by journalist Ryan Grim.
“Drop Site News [has] a piece out about an Iranian official who told them that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are abusing their insider status for personal gain,” Tarlov said, naming Grim directly when “The Five” host Dana Perino asked her what Drop Site News is.
Watters was not immediately on camera at the mention of Grim’s name, but followed up on Tarlov’s remarks with a dismissive comment questioning the report’s credibility.
“An Iranian said that?” Watters said, smiling. “Told that to who, Drop Site News? Okay.”
Tarlov fired back at Watters over his dismissive remarks and reminded the Fox News host that he had similarly dismissed reporting surrounding the memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreed to by the Trump administration and Tehran, reporting that ultimately proved to be accurate.
“What’s so funny about this is that that’s exactly what you guys said to me when I talked about the MOU that was allegedly leaked,” Tarlov said. “[Vice President] JD Vance sat next to me and said that I was parodying Iranian propaganda, and guess what: that MOU was word-for-word what it actually turned out to be. So you can mock me all that you want.”
Reacting to a clip of Tarlov and Watters’ exchange, Drop Site News journalist Julian Andreone suggested the mention of Grim brought Watters “flashbacks” to their scuffle a decade prior.
“Jesse Watters took a veiled shot at the end of the video, but visibly tensed up when Jessica Tarlov mentioned Ryan,” Andreone wrote in a social media post on X. “Wonder why (flashbacks)!”
Watters and Grim reportedly got into a scuffle in 2016 at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after Grim confronted the Fox News anchor over his treatment of Washington-based journalist Amanda Terkel. Grim recorded the encounter on his phone, and captured Watters admitting to having “ambushed” Terkel at the behest of conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly.
Watters appeared to then realize Grim was recording the encounter and promptly grabbed Grim’s phone and threw it across the room. Grim told The Guardian that “there were a lot of fists flying” before the two were separated.
Commenting on the clip of Watters dismissing Tarlov and Drop Site News’ reporting, MeidasTouch reporter Pablo Manríquez offered his own take on decade-old scuffle.
“Fun Fact: Ryan Grim beat Jesse Watters’ a– at the 2016 White House Correspondents Dinner MSNBC after-party,” Manríquez wrote in a social media post on X. “Watters hasn’t been seen at a WHCD weekend since.”
The Independent White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg appeared to concur with Manríquez’s description of the scuffle, writing: “Oh yea I remember that.”
Jesse Watters took a veiled shot at the end of the video, but visibly tensed up when Jessica Tarlov mentioned Ryan. Wonder why (flashbacks)! — Julian Andreone (@JulianAndreone) July 16, 2026
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