Fox News host Jesse Watters tells QAnon influencer he loves and follows him on social media: “We'll be in touch”
QAnon influencer Jeffrey Pedersen, known as “intheMatrixxx,” also claims Watters messaged him and told attendees at his book signing to follow intheMatrixxx
Written by Alex Kaplan
Published
At a signing event for his new book, Fox News host Jesse Watters told Jeffrey Pedersen, a QAnon influencer known online as “intheMatrixxx,” that he “love[s]” him and follows him online, adding that he does “good work” and has “all this information.”
Watters’ admission comes after he previously praised QAnon supporters and then backtracked.
During the April 29 episode of the QAnon-supporting MatrixxxGrooove Show (or MG Show), Pedersen aired a video of an interaction he had with Watters at a book signing event for the Fox News host.
Pedersen has repeatedly promoted QAnon and other misinformation online, like false claims about vaccines and election fraud. And regarding QAnon itself, multiple government agencies have issued internal warnings about the conspiracy theory and its supporters, some of whom have also been tied to violence, including the January 6 insurrection.
While signing a copy of his book for Pedersen, Watters told Pedersen and others around him, “I love intheMatrixxx,” adding, “I follow this guy.” He said that Pedersen’s “got all this information. … You’re very good.” And at the end of the video he told Pedersen, “Keep up the good work. … We’ll be in touch.”
During the show, Pedersen also claimed that Watters later at the event told attendees to “go follow” Pedersen on X (formerly Twitter), getting him “tons of followers after that.”
Pedersen took a victory lap on the show, saying Watters’ praise was “a testament to everybody on the MG Show” and “a testament of what we’re doing, and it really made me feel good.” Pedersen also speculated about whether it meant that “our information gets on Watters’ show.”
Later in the show, Pedersen claimed that Watters sent him a direct message on X after the event and that Pedersen responded by sending him a photo of them together and “dar[ing]” him to show it on air on Fox News.
In 2020, Watters praised the QAnon community for having “uncovered a lot of great stuff when it comes to [Jeffrey] Epstein and when it comes to the deep state,” though he later claimed he did not “support or believe in” the conspiracy theory.
And the year before that, QAnon supporters cheered over a segment Watters aired on his show about QAnon that had a “neutral to positive spin.”
Watters’ praise for Pedersen adds to Fox’s long history of amplifying and sometimes openly embracing QAnon. And it comes as MatrixxxGrooove Show has received press passes at multiple Trump rallies.