Fox News Host to Divorce After Workplace Affair

Fox News host Jesse Watters has been served divorce papers after entering into an adulterous relationship with a co-worker. Noelle Watters, Jesse’s wife, filed for divorce this past October after learning about the extramarital affair. Jesse Watters is a regular on Fox News on his own show Watters’ World and as a guest on The Spin Stops Here Tour 2017 alongside other conservative stars such as Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller. Just last week, Watters dined with President Trump at the White House.

Today, our divorce and family law attorneys will discuss the details of this case and how the actions of Jesse Watters may have an impact on his divorce proceedings.

Morris County, NJ Divorce Attorneys Discuss the Details of the Jesse Watters Divorce

Jesse Watters joins the long list of celebrities who have been caught with their hand in the cookie jar including celebrity adulterers including Tiger Woods, Hugh Grant, Arnold Schwarzenegger, just to name a few. Watters’ career in the industry began in 2003 when he took a production job on The O’Reilly Factor. Fast forward a decade or so and his work moved to on-screen time on the Fox News program Outnumbered.

Jesse and his wife Noelle were married in 2009 and welcomed twin daughters into their family in late 2011. Watters is 39 years old, and recently began an affair with 25 year old associate producer Emma DiGiovine. According to Fox News and other witnesses, Watters did not attempt to hide his affair and notified his Human Resources department of the relationship. After such notification, Fox News chose to keep Watters at his current position but elected to move DiGiovine onto a different project. No one was fired, and it would seem that no one was demoted or punished.

Chester Fault Divorce Lawyers Identify Impact of Affairs on New Jersey Divorce

While we are not certain in what state the Watters’ divorce will take place, we can examine their case under New Jersey state law as an example. There is not much known, but it would appear that there is clear and evident proof that Jesse Watters participated in adultery during the course of his marriage. This allows Mrs. Watters to file for fault divorce if she so chooses. Fault based divorce in New Jersey requires the filing party to prove wrongful behavior by the other spouse, which can include adultery.

For issues involving children such as child support or child custody, fault based divorce is generally not a factor. Similarly, New Jersey judges generally will not consider the cause of divorce to be a factor when considering the equitable distribution of marital assets.

However, fault based divorce can be a factor in alimony and spousal support considerations. In this case, where presumably Jesse Watters would be responsible for paying alimony, he may be responsible for higher payments due to his “wrongful” actions leading to a divorce. In some cases, fault based divorce may be considered when determining child custody, but that is primarily reserved for situations where the wrongful actions involved domestic violence, cruelty, substance abuse, and other harmful behaviors. Adultery will not fall under that category of harmful behavior.

Contact our Morristown Divorce and Family Law Attorneys Today

The divorce and family law attorneys of Townsend, Tomaio & Newmark have extensive experience serving divorce clients from local Morris County communities including Chester, Mendham, Chatham, Morristown, Harding, Morris Township, and across all of Northern New Jersey. Our three partners are all Certified Matrimonial Law Attorneys as selected by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, a distinction earned by just two percent of attorneys in our state. We take pride in taking the time to get to know each of our clients’ individual needs and concerns, and we strive to tailor our legal services to your desired outcome.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding divorce or family law matters, please contact us online or through our Morristown, NJ offices by calling (973) 840-8970 today for a free and confidential consultation with a member of our qualified and experienced legal team.