In the days since the start of Hurricane Harvey down in Texas, every cable news channel has been reporting around the clock about what is taking place in the Lone Star State. During a broadcast on Fox News earlier this week, one host referenced a hoax image, claiming he saw a shark swimming in the streets of Houston.
Watters busted
On Friday, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas in what experts are calling one of the worst storms to strike the state in nearly 500 years.
The hurricane was quickly labeled a "Category 4" storm, which Donald Trump incorrectly labeled as "class 3" during one of his many tweets on the subject. As of press time, at least eight people have been reported dead, with thousands forced to flee their homes as the storm rips through Houston. On Monday's edition of "The Five" on Fox News, co-host Jesse Watters claimed that he saw a shark swimming on a highway during the hurricane, but was actually referencing a hoax photo that has made the rounds on the internet during many major floods in recent years. As seen on his Twitter feed on August 29, the Fox News host was left embarrassed and apologized for his mistake.
Taking to his Twitter account on Tuesday night, co-host of Fox News' "The Five," Jesse Watters, apologized for his humiliating error after falling for a well-known fake news image while addressing the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. "Yesterday, I made a comment about a shark in the floodwaters in Texas. I sincerely apologize if I caused concern or alarm to anyone," Watters tweeted out.
In the second part of his social media post, Jesse Watters continued his apology. "The folks there and beyond are suffering unimaginable hardships," he tweeted, before adding, "My heart goes out to them" This isn't the first time that Watters has come under fire for making inaccurate remarks, as he once was a regular of "The O'Reilly Factor" before host Bill O'Reilly was fired from Fox News after news of the sexual harassment allegations against him went public.
The blunder
Jesse Watters' first rant into trouble when he appeared almost excited about what he witnessed during the hurricane. "I’ve seen some amazing things out there just looking at television," Watters told his fellow co-hosts on Monday, while stating, "I saw a shark on a highway swimming in the water!"
Fellow co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle compared the visual to the horror-comedy "Sharknado," which Watters replied, "Like Sharknado!" Fox News has not released their own statement on the error in question.