They say politics makes strange bedfellows, but this week two veteran TV personalities proved the point in the friendliest possible way when CBS’s Gayle King and Fox’s Jesse Watters found themselves side-by-side on a cross-country flight and shared a smiling selfie afterward. The image, posted by King, showed the unexpected cordiality that still exists off the set — a reminder that real Americans can disagree without hating each other.
King’s cheeky caption — noting they were “seated right next to each other for over four hours” and that “a good time was had by all” — was a simple, human moment, the kind of small civility the country desperately needs. The photo lit up social media, proving once again that a single snapshot can tell you more about modern media culture than a thousand cable monologues.
Unsurprisingly, the predictable online mob went ballistic, with left-wing outlets and keyboard activists blasting King for smiling with a conservative host instead of applauding basic decency. The furious reaction was less about the handshake and more about policing associations — yet another performance of purity signaling from people who think television colleagues must live in ideological bubbles.
Meanwhile, conservatives should resist the urge to gloat and instead take a victory lap for common sense: civility matters, and people who cover the news are still allowed to be human beings. Yes, Jesse Watters is a provocative commentator who pushes back hard on woke narratives, but having a pleasant conversation in a cramped airplane seat doesn’t negate the need for accountability in journalism — it simply proves that adults can disagree without canceling one another.
Even other media figures took notice, with Hot Mics host Billy Bush chiming in and reminding viewers that Americans are tired of performative outrage and would rather see mutual respect than perpetual war between networks. Bush himself has been building his Hot Mics platform to take on exactly these culture-clash moments, and his lighthearted take underscored the point: ordinary Americans want dialogue, not a televised feeding frenzy.
Make no mistake: the left’s frenzy over a selfie isn’t about principle — it’s about control. They’re trying to teach everyone that personal courtesies are a betrayal of the correct political posture, as if the only acceptable response to disagreement is ostracism and rage. Real patriots reject that shrill logic and honor the common-sense notion that a nation of free people can sit together, talk, and still stand firm in their convictions.
If there’s a takeaway for hardworking Americans, it’s this: don’t let the outrage industry rent out your emotions. Celebrate decency where you see it, reject the petty enforcement of ideological purity, and demand that our media figures — left, right, and center — remember that their first duty is to inform, not to inflame. The Watters-King selfie was a small, hopeful moment; let’s not let the mob turn it into a culture-war chess piece.
