Jesse Watters Says He Likes Abdul El-Sayed But Calls Him a 'Little Bit of a Lunatic'

Fox News host Jesse Watters praised Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Dr. Abdul El-Sayed during a dynamic, 25-minute interview on Monday, August 24, noting his unique presence by stating, "I actually like Abdul... not your typical stiff,” before adding that he’s a “little bit of a lunatic.”

The high-stakes general election interview featured sharp disagreements but remained largely jovial, even as the two locked horns over major political issues.

Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly pushed back against Watters' line of questioning, arguing that the media focuses too heavily on "culture war" flashpoints.

El-Sayed emphasized that he is running to combat the affordability crisis, take on Big Pharma and address healthcare issues, rather than engage in ideological social debates.

Watters pressed the candidate on hot-button topics, including abolishing ICE, Shariah law and transgender athletes in sports, but El-Sayed pushed back, saying he was there to discuss affordability, not sports.

The interview took an unexpected turn when Watters pressed El-Sayed, a physician, on gender-affirming medical care for minors.

When Watters asked if it was acceptable to "slash" a child's anatomy, El-Sayed countered by asking Watters on live television, "Are you circumcised?"

El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, argued that circumcision is also a surgical procedure performed on children, accusing critics of being selective about when they want government intervention between doctors, parents and patients.

Watters labeled El-Sayed's counter-argument and policy stances as "wacky" and "sick stuff.”

The viral interview follows a primary victory in which El-Sayed narrowly defeated establishment favorite Rep. Haley Stevens. He has already capitalized on earlier post-primary praise from Watters, who previously stated, "You've got to respect Abdul because he beat the machine.”

El-Sayed will face Republican Mike Rogers, an ex-congressman backed by President Donald Trump, in a race that could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.

Despite the fierce debate, the interview concluded amicably, with Watters giving El-Sayed credit for "facing the music" and wishing him luck in Michigan.

On Tuesday, Watters played a clip of Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski praising the interview.

“There was some great sparring there that I thought was healthy, and needed more for Democrats to step up, go on Fox News, for Fox News to have Democrats on," she said. "And by the way, for different points of view to show up on all of the networks that people watch. So, I thought this was really actually constructive. It was a little hard to watch at times. But at the same time, I commend him for going on, and I commend Jesse Watters for having him. And I hope there's more of it."

Watters then commented, "I actually like Abdul. I probably shouldn't like him, but I do. I think he'd be a terrible senator and he's a little bit of a lunatic. But at least he's not your typical stiff."