Fox News’ Jesse Watters doesn’t know Val Kilmer’s work that well, apparently

Fox News host Jesse Watters faced a wave of online mockery after a recent segment where he talked about the death of actor Val Kilmer. During an interview with filmmaker Oliver Stone—who worked with Kilmer on the 1991 movie The Doors—Watters made a mistake by saying he was a fan of Kilmer’s performance in the 1987 vampire film The Lost Boys.

This comment immediately drew criticism online because Kilmer wasn’t even in The Lost Boys. The movie actually starred Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Jason Patric. As found by the Hindustan Times, the mistake happened during a segment meant to honor Kilmer’s life and career.

Apparently, Watters did not realize his error and continued talking about how much he liked The Lost Boys, even though Kilmer wasn’t in it. Since this was aired on a major news network, people quickly noticed and started talking about it on social media, especially on X (formerly Twitter).

Fox News host says wrong movie when honoring Val Kilmer

Many viewers called out Watters for the error, pointing out the obvious difference between Kiefer Sutherland and Val Kilmer. Some were surprised that Oliver Stone, an experienced director who had worked with Kilmer, didn’t correct Watters during the interview. The slip-up led to a flood of jokes and criticism online, with many people listing Kilmer’s actual famous roles to show how big the mistake was.

This situation not only showed that Watters didn’t seem to know much about Kilmer’s movies, but it also made people wonder how much research went into the segment before it aired. The strong reaction from the public highlights how much people care about getting facts right, especially when discussing the life and work of a well-known actor like Kilmer.

Val Kilmer, who died at 65, had a long and successful career in Hollywood. He’ll always be remembered for his many great roles. His performance as “Iceman” in Top Gun made him a star, proving his charm and screen presence. His role as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors showed his range as an actor, perfectly capturing the rock star’s personality. He also gave a standout performance as Doc Holliday in Tombstone, proving he could shine in a Western.

I personally love his Doc Holiday in Tombstone, and that would have been my go-to movie to talk about. Watters’ mistake is a good example of why fact-checking is so important, especially on live TV. While Watters probably meant to honor Kilmer, the big error ended up being the main thing people noticed.