CBS News anchor Gayle King found herself in an unexpected situation during a recent flight — seated right next to Fox News host Jesse Watters, one of television’s most outspoken conservative voices.
Surprisingly, the encounter seemed pleasant, according to King’s own post on Instagram.
“A Good Time Was Had by All”
On Monday, King, 70, shared a selfie of herself and Watters from the airplane cabin with a caption that read:
“Two TV people from competing networks walk onto a plane and to the surprise of them both, they’re seated right next to each other for over four hours.
How did it go? Speaking for @jessewatters here: A good time was had by all! Hi, Jesse… saving your number!”
The post immediately went viral, drawing thousands of comments — many of which criticized King for appearing friendly with a political rival.
Fans React: “This Is Not Cute at All”
While some followers praised King for her professionalism and lightheartedness, many others took issue with her tone.
One user wrote:
“I respect and love you, Gayle. Your seat mate, however, is harming our country.”
Another added:
“This is really not cute at all.”
A third commenter urged:
“You still got time to delete this, sis.”
And another went further, saying:
“Really, Gayle… I’m sure he’ll talk on Fox later about how you’re a DEI hire. What world are you in, lady?”
Past Encounters Between the Two
This isn’t the first time Watters has been linked to King in headlines.
In 2019, Watters made waves when he mistook King for another Black journalist, Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts.
He later issued a public apology for the error.
Watters’ Recent On-Air Controversies
Just hours after the flight photo surfaced, Watters made headlines again — this time on Fox News’ The Five.
During Monday’s broadcast, Watters criticized “No Kings” protesters, calling them “ignorant trend-chasers who have no idea why they’re there.”
He added a personal twist:
“Can you believe my mom was there? Sometimes I think I was adopted.”
He continued, criticizing the protest movement:
“They do these things — the Women’s March, BLM, the Musk stuff. The issues change, but the one thing that stays the same is Trump. They think this guy’s like crack cocaine. They get these big bursts of energy every once in a while, but long term this has been bad for their health.”
Watters concluded by arguing that the left has “lost the culture, the media, two of the last three elections, and their minds.”
Another Controversy: Remarks on Jennifer Aniston
Last week, Watters drew backlash after commenting that Jennifer Aniston “used to be much better looking” during a segment on The Five.
Co-host Harold Ford Jr. quickly tried to move the conversation along, saying:
“Why don’t we get on to the next segment?”
But fellow panelist Katie Pavlich added:
“She’s richer now. Like, she has a lot of money. Money buys a lot of makeover for everyone.”
Watters ended the exchange by saying, “I hope so.”
A Viral Moment of Unlikely Civility
Despite the heated reactions online, King’s friendly encounter with Watters stands out as a rare display of civility across media and political lines — even if her followers didn’t quite appreciate the gesture.
Whether intended as humor or goodwill, the post shows that even in today’s divided media landscape, a four-hour flight can bring two very different worlds together — at least for a selfie.
