Jesse Watters of Fox News Is Promoted to an Evening Slot

Twenty years ago, a recent college graduate named Jesse Watters joined Fox News as a production assistant. He finagled his way into an on-camera gig as a sidekick to Bill O’Reilly, before expanding his ambush-style man-on-the-street interviews into a weekend program and a role as co-host of the talk show “The Five.”

Now Mr. Watters, 43, is poised to enter the upper ranks of Fox News stardom, and all the influence that confers: Starting Jan. 24, he will have his own 7 p.m. program, “Jesse Watters Primetime,” which will serve as the lead-in to Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham, the highest-rated evening block on cable news.

The ascent of Mr. Watters — a conservative culture warrior who delights in bashing all things liberal — comes despite numerous