El-Sayed asks Watters if he is circumcised during Fox News interview
The exchange occurred during a discussion about gender-affirming care for minors.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

El-Sayed asks Watters if he is circumcised during Fox News interview
Photograph: HuffPost (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, asked Fox News host Jesse Watters if he was circumcised during an interview.
- The question arose during a debate about gender-affirming care for minors.
- El-Sayed used circumcision as a comparison to defend his stance on medical procedures for minors.
- The interview also covered topics including immigration, Sharia law, and taxing the wealthy.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 26 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 3 of the 29 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
61/100
Hype
68/100
29 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 6 of the 26 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
During a television interview, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed asked Fox News host Jesse Watters if he was circumcised. The exchange took place on Monday during a discussion about gender-affirming care for minors. Watters had pressed El-Sayed on his views regarding medical interventions for young people.
Disagreement on the comparison
HuffPost reported that El-Sayed defended his position by comparing it to circumcision. In contrast, NewsBusters described Watters as confronting El-Sayed about castrating children versus circumcision, and The Post Millennial stated El-Sayed compared child sex change castration to circumcision.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention El-Sayed's defence of his stance on Sharia law, which was reported by right-rated outlets such as Washington Examiner and Fox News. Similarly, none of the centre-rated digests mention El-Sayed's specific comments on Sharia law.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 25 Aug 2026, 12:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
6 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports focused on the personal question El-Sayed posed to Jesse Watters. HuffPost described the exchange as a "bonkers" detour and an effort to disarm the host. CNN and The Independent noted the question came after Watters asked about gender-affirming surgery for minors. Raw Story highlighted that Watters was "squirms" after the question, and Mediaite stated the interview took a "bizarre turn."
Centre
4 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports highlighted the clash between El-Sayed and Watters on various issues. Newsweek noted the interview covered transgender athletes, health care, and culture-war topics. Alabama Live mentioned El-Sayed slamming Senator Tuberville over Sharia law during the exchange with Watters. The Hill stated the interview involved clashes over gas prices, Sharia law, healthcare, and gender-affirming care.
Right
16 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports frequently framed the interview as a "train wreck" or a "fail" for El-Sayed. Many focused on the candidate's question about circumcision, often linking it directly to his defence of sex change surgeries for minors. RedState suggested the appearance "may sink his chances." The Gateway Pundit stated El-Sayed "tries to filibuster his way" through the interview. Breitbart and The Post Millennial highlighted El-Sayed's comments on sex changes for minors, with The Post Millennial quoting Watters saying, "Circumcision is different than castration."
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover El-Sayed asks Watters if he is circumcised during Fox News interview?
- Of the 26 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 23% are rated left, 15% are rated centre, 62% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 29. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is El-Sayed asks Watters if he is circumcised during Fox News interview left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 26 rated outlets on this story, 23% are rated left, 15% are rated centre, 62% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of El-Sayed asks Watters if he is circumcised during Fox News interview biased?
- El-Sayed asks Watters if he is circumcised during Fox News interview is one event reported by 29 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting El-Sayed asks Watters if he is circumcised during Fox News interview?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered El-Sayed asks Watters if he is circumcised during Fox News interview?
- 29 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What happened during the interview between Abdul El-Sayed and Jesse Watters?
- During an interview discussing gender-affirming care for minors, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed asked Fox News host Jesse Watters if he was circumcised. El-Sayed used the question to draw a comparison to defend his position on medical procedures for minors.
- What was the context of El-Sayed's question about circumcision?
- Jesse Watters had pressed El-Sayed on his stance regarding sex changes for minors. El-Sayed then asked Watters if he was circumcised, comparing it to other medical procedures on minors.
- What other topics were discussed in the interview?
- Beyond the exchange about gender-affirming care, the interview also covered subjects including immigration, Sharia law, and taxing the wealthy, according to multiple reports.
Read it at the source
29 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
6- Abdul El-Sayed Asks Jesse Watters If He's Circumcised In Bonkers Exchange (opens HuffPost in a new tab)
- El-Sayed confronted about culture wars on Fox News (opens CNN in a new tab)
- Abdul El-Sayed asks Jesse Watters if he is circumcised during combative interview (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Abdul El-Sayed asks Jesse Watters if he is circumcised during combative interview (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Jesse Watters squirms after blunt 'personal question' left him cornered on his show (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- Fox News Interview Takes Bizarre Turn When Abdul El-Sayed Asks Jesse Watters, ‘Are You Circumcised?’ (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
Centre
4- Abdul El-Sayed clashes with Jesse Watters on Fox News: Five key takeaways (opens Newsweek in a new tab)
- El-Sayed spars with Jesse Watters on Fox News on immigration, Iran war: ‘Let me just answer the question’ (opens cedarnews.net in a new tab)
cedarnews.net — is cedarnews.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Abdul El-Sayed slams Tuberville over Sharia law: He ‘barely was good at coaching football’ (opens Alabama Live in a new tab)
Alabama Live — is Alabama Live biased? Our profile of this outlet
- El-Sayed and Watters clash in Fox News interview over culture war, gas prices (opens The Hill in a new tab)
Right
16- Hoo Boy: El-Sayed's Train Wreck Appearance With Jesse Watters May Sink His Chances (opens RedState in a new tab)
RedState — is RedState biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Jesse Watters Debates Islamic DSA Candidate Abdul El-Sayed (opens The Last Refuge in a new tab)
The Last Refuge — is The Last Refuge biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Michigan Senate Candidate Asks Jesse Watters ‘Are You Circumcised?’ (opens VINnews in a new tab)
- Abdul El-Sayed Tries to Filibuster His Way Through Interview With Jesse Watters (opens The Gateway Pundit in a new tab)
The Gateway Pundit — is The Gateway Pundit biased? Our profile of this outlet
- El Sayed says 'preemptively' banning sharia is discriminatory (opens Washington Examiner in a new tab)
Washington Examiner — is Washington Examiner biased? Our profile of this outlet
- El-Sayed on Sex Changes for Minors: I Remember 'Right to Try', Government Shouldn't Dictate Healthcare (opens Breitbart in a new tab)
Breitbart — is Breitbart biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Asks Fox News Host Jesse Watters If He’s Circumcised While Defending Sex Change Surgeries For Children (opens WLTReport in a new tab)
- Abdul El-Sayed grilled on past statements on Sharia law and White supremacy, taxing the rich - NEW YORK TIMES POST (opens nytimespost.com in a new tab)
nytimespost.com — is nytimespost.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 8 more
- Abdul El-Sayed grilled on past statements on Sharia law and White supremacy, taxing the rich (opens wfmd.com in a new tab)
- Abdul El-Sayed grilled on past statements on Sharia law and White supremacy, taxing the rich – Democratic Accent (opens democraticaccent.com in a new tab)
democraticaccent.com — is democraticaccent.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Abdul El-Sayed grilled on past statements on Sharia law and White supremacy, taxing the rich (opens Fox News in a new tab)
- Abdul El-Sayed asks Fox News’ Jesse Watters ‘Are you circumcised?’ in bizarre moment as he defends sex change surgery for minors (opens New York Post in a new tab)
New York Post — is New York Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Abdul El-Sayed compares child sex change castration to circumcision in jaw-dropping interview (opens The Post Millennial in a new tab)
The Post Millennial — is The Post Millennial biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Jesse Watters Asks El-Sayed If Castrating Kids Is Cool — He Replies It’s Basically Just Circumcision (opens Twitchy in a new tab)
- El-Sayed Debates ICE, Green New Deal, Taxes, More (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Real Clear Politics — is Real Clear Politics biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'ARE YOU CIRCUMCISED?' The Wildest Moments from the Jesse Watters-Abdul El-Sayed Interview (opens NewsBusters in a new tab)
NewsBusters — is NewsBusters biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
3- "Are You Circumcised?" the Moment when a Democratic Candidate Left the Fox News Presenter Unrepealed. (opens Adevarul in a new tab)
- Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed clashes with Fox News host Jesse Watters over immigration, Iran (opens Tippahnews.com in a new tab)
Tippahnews.com — is Tippahnews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Abdul El-Sayed asks Fox News Host ‘Are you circumcised?’ in Bizarre Moment as He Defends Sex Change Surgery for Minors (opens Restoring Liberty in a new tab)
Restoring Liberty — is Restoring Liberty biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
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