Bulwark Takes: Is Fox News Bringing on FAKE Guests? (w/ Jack Cocchiarella)

Podcast Episode Date: October 11, 2025
Host: Tim Miller (C), with Jack Cocchiarella (B)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Bulwark Takes examines the latest controversy swirling around Fox News, specifically Jesse Watters’ alleged use of a recurring, possibly fictional guest who claims variously to be an Antifa whistleblower and an ex-Mexican mafia member. Jack Cocchiarella joins Tim Miller for a spirited, unfiltered breakdown of the tactics employed by Watters and Fox, the outlet’s penchant for fear-mongering, and the culture of political violence and cruelty encouraged in the right-wing media ecosystem.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fox News’ Alleged Use of Fake Guests

• Recurring Guest Allegation:
  Jack and Tim dive into claims that Jesse Watters has been bringing on a single, masked guest on Fox News, presenting him as different individuals (Antifa insider, ex-Mexican mafia member) ([01:06]).

  • “Jesse has been bringing on a special guest. He wants you to think there are multiple guests and...but they might be the same guest.” — Jack ([01:11])

• Skepticism & Voice Analysis:
  The duo contrasts the guest segments, highlighting bad acting and suspiciously similar speech and demeanor ([03:22]).

  • Tim: “The accent was different but it sounded...like bad voice acting to me.” ([03:36])
  • Jack: “It didn’t sound great.” ([03:38])

• Comedic Dissection:
  With tongue-in-cheek humor, they lampoon Watters’ attempt at manufacturing credibility, mocking the “youth recruitment” narratives in the Antifa segments.

2. The Politics and Ethics of Media Fear-Mongering

• Jesse Watters on Political Violence:
  Jack and Tim dissect a clip where Watters suggests the goal of Trump-era immigration policies and ICE raids is to “scare” undocumented people out of the country using cruelty and deliberate fear ([05:46]–[06:36]).

  • Notable Quote: “...2 million illegals have seen these scare tactics...and they have left by themselves and that is actually working on Donald Trump’s immigration policy’s behalf.” — Jesse Watters (clip, [06:10])
  • Jack’s blunt reaction: “What a fucking piece of shit.” ([06:36])

• Double Standards and Cheerleading for Cruelty:
  The hosts highlight the hypocrisy of right-wing rhetoric—complaining about left-wing scare tactics while actively stoking fear among minority communities ([07:12]).

  • Jack: “Your job as a part of this...is to go fucking scare black and brown people.” ([07:34])

3. Empathy, Hatred, and Public Life

• Should We “Know Who Hates Us”?
  Jack and Tim debate whether it is healthier to know who in society holds genuinely hostile or hateful views—or whether the ignorance of earlier eras offered more peace ([10:25]–[12:48]).

  • Jack: “Don’t we want to know who hates us?...Shouldn’t we know who hates the idea of humanity and empathy in public all the time?” ([10:27])
  • Tim: “Back when I was growing up in the ’90s...we had no fucking idea what our neighbors thought about anything. And I gotta tell you...that’s healthy.” ([12:09])

• Where to Draw the Line:
  They distinguish between calling out public figures who propagate cruelty (like Watters or Stephen Miller), versus ostracizing ordinary neighbors with differing views ([11:36]–[11:54]).

  • Tim: “I’m for name calling of Stephen Miller...But I don’t think we need to treat, you know, the lady that lives next door [the same way].” ([11:40])

4. Memorable Moments and Humor

• Voice Acting Critique:
  They replay and mock the Fox guest's bizarre attempts at different identities, exaggerating the absurdity with jokes about Antifa dodgeball and Catholic school nuns as gangs ([03:03]–[04:54]).

• Contempt for Watters:
  The show unites in cathartic, hyperbolic condemnation of Jesse Watters, closing on a rare moment of shared sentiment:

  • Jack: “We fucking hate Jesse Watters.” ([13:37])
  • Tim: “We don’t like Jesse Watters.” ([13:41])

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• On Fox News and Fake Guests:
  “Jesse has been bringing on a special guest. He wants you to think that there are multiple guests and...but they might be the same guest...” — Jack ([01:11])

• On Questionable Testimony:
  “Do people say that about themselves? I was extremely violent. I was violent enough to be recruited by a gang.” — Tim ([04:18])

• On Political Cruelty:
  “Your job as a part of this...is to go fucking scare black and brown people.” — Jack ([07:34])

• On the Psyche of Fear:
  “We don’t know the difference in our brains between getting a text message and getting attacked by a wild animal.” — Jack ([09:34])

• On Awareness of Hostility:
  “Shouldn’t we know who hates the idea of humanity and empathy in public all the time?” — Jack ([10:27])

• Tongue-in-cheek closure:
  “We fucking hate Jesse Watters.” — Jack ([13:37])
  “That’s a truth I think we can live in.” — Tim ([13:43])

Important Segments [Timestamps]

• [01:06] — Introduction of the Jesse Watters / Fox guest controversy
• [02:16] — Online speculation about Fox guests’ real identities
• [03:22] — Breakdown and critique of the “bad voice acting”
• [05:46] — Clip and analysis of Jesse Watters advocating fear as immigration policy
• [09:34] — Fear as a tool: the psychological cost
• [10:25–12:48] — Debate on knowing who in society 'hates' whom, and its effects
• [13:37] — Mutual contempt for Jesse Watters: summary and closing sentiment

Tone and Style

Conversational, heavily laced with dark humor and profanities, the episode pulls no punches in criticizing Fox News’ media practices and figures like Jesse Watters. Jack and Tim volley between sarcastic banter, pointed analysis, and moments of genuine distress about the current political-media environment.

This episode offers a sharp, irreverent, and insightful look at media manipulation, divisive politics, and the challenge of maintaining empathy in an era dominated by fear-mongering and cruelty.