Francis Ellis on Jesse Watters Primetime
By Brandon Contes on

Not everyone who contributes to Fox News agrees with the network and the narratives they attempt to push.

Barstool Sports personality Francis Ellis has been a regular on Fox News, especially during their 7pm show hosted by Jesse Waters. But his unfiltered opinion of the network was leaked during a recent hot mic incident.

Tuesday’s episode of Barstool Rundown was mistakenly published, featuring what was supposed to be an off-air conversation where Ellis ripped Fox News for “just trafficking in hate.” The hot mic audio was quickly removed by Barstool, but Mediaite later obtained the unedited version of the podcast.

After they finished taping the podcast, co-host Adam Ferrone asked Ellis about his most recent appearance on Watters’ Fox News show. Ellis, who is a comedian, wasn’t thrilled with his performance, specifically citing the “To Catch a Predator joke” and “QAnon reference,” he made during their discussion about Massachusetts Democrats wanting to lower the voting age to 16.

“Look, I got home. I talked my wife about it cause I was disappointed in myself,” Ellis said of his appearance with Watters. “And she was like, ‘Let’s be honest, like, do you want to be working with these fucking people?’ She was like, ‘I watched the rest of his show — he’s a fucking joke.’”

“This is still part of the Rundown,” Ferrone said, joking that their seemingly off-air conversation about Fox News would be published.

“Still rolling, baby!” someone else can be heard saying in the background as they all laughed.

Ellis didn’t seem too concerned, taking aim at Tucker Carlson next. “And then like, Tucker comes on and just screams,” Ellis said. “It’s so weird.”

“They’re just trafficking in hate,” Ellis continued.

After being reminded that he’s a comedian and the Fox News audience probably recognized his political jokes were just jokes, Ellis didn’t sound so sure.

“I think last night I went into a place that I shouldn’t have gone to,” Ellis said. “No, because last night I was like, yes, the Democrats are like eating children beneath pizza shops. There are people watching that, who don’t know that I’m fucking with them. They’re like, ‘Finally a young, handsome person is saying it!’”

Sounds like Ellis probably won’t be invited back onto Jesse Watters Primetime or any Fox News show in the near future. But it also sounds like that might be a good thing for Ellis, considering the hang-ups he was apparently having about contributing to Fox News’ “trafficking in hate.”

[Mediaite]

About Brandon Contes

Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com

View all posts by Brandon Contes