Tucker Carlson's replacement Jesse Watters drew big numbers in Fox News' 8 p.m. time slot — but he couldn't beat Carlson out of the gate

• Jesse Watters' show on the 8 p.m. slot had about 2.5 million viewers, Fox News said, citing Nielsen.
• It led among primetime cable news shows on other channels, according to Nielsen data that Fox News shared.
• But the number was lower than the reported 3.1 million viewers Tucker Carlson drew in last summer.

Tucker Carlson's replacement drew big numbers in his debut in the 8 p.m. time slot on Fox News, but he couldn't beat Carlson's past viewership right off the bat.

Jesse Watters' show, "Jesse Watters Primetime," aired Monday on what was once Tucker Carlson's time slot and had 2.5 million viewers, according to Fox News, which cited data from Nielsen Media Research. The show had begun in January 2022 at 7 p.m., but it moved into the 8 p.m. slot as Fox News spruced up its primetime offerings.

The 2.5 million in viewership for Watters' show on Monday was a drop from the roughly 3.1 million that Tucker Carlson had drawn on the 8 p.m. slot last summer, according to a Deadline report that referenced an average figure from July.  

But Watters' show was "the most-watched program on cable news in primetime" on Monday, according to a statement by Fox News. It led among primetime shows on Fox and other channels, including "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC, which had roughly 2.4 million viewers, and "Hannity" on Fox News, which had about 2.2 million viewers, according to data shared by a representative for Fox News, which cited Nielsen.  

The only show that outranked Jesse Watters was "The Five," a panel show that Watters still co-hosts, which airs at the 5 p.m. slot, and had a viewership of 2.6 million on Monday. That show has consistently led for "seven quarters as cable news' most-watched show," according to Fox News' statement. 

As Deadline's report notes, Watters' audience could still grow, similar to Carlson when he took over for Bill O'Reilly.

Representatives for Carlson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. 

Carlson had been pushed out from Fox in April, and said on a recent episode of the actor Russell Brand's podcast that he didn't know the reason for it.

It has been widely reported that Carlson left after Fox News settled a lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems for $787 million, though the companies involved have denied a connection. 

Carlson has since brought his programming to Twitter, and is reportedly seeking to raise "hundreds of millions" for his new media company and website.