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Jesse Watters confronts Jesse Ventura for suing Chris Kyle's widow — then things quickly explode
Fox News host Jesse Watters confronts Jesse Ventura over Chris Kyle lawsuit and fireworks follow. (Image source: YouTube)

Jesse Watters confronts Jesse Ventura for suing Chris Kyle's widow — then things quickly explode

Fox News' Jesse Watters got his start at the conservative-leaning cable news network by ambushing people for interviews as a correspondent for Bill O'Reilly's longtime show.

And even though Watters is now the host of his own weekend show, he still regularly ambushes people for interviews and continues to tape his famous "Watters' World" segments, which are known for their hilariousness.

Watters recently confronted former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura while the former professional wrestler and Navy SEAL was speaking at a pro-marijuana legalization conference.

The exchange between Watters and Ventura began cordial. Watters asked Ventura some silly questions about whether or not President Donald Trump or members of congress should get "high."

But the lighthearted conservation took a dramatic turn when Watters confronted Ventura about suing Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and going through legal battles with Kyle's now-widow, Taya, over alleged defamation in Kyle's 2012 book "American Sniper."

"Were you high when you sued Chris Kyle's widow?" Watters calmly asked.

Ventura was visibly caught off guard by the question.

"Was I high?" he replied. "You know, that's a bulls**t question and I expect if from someone from Fox."

"It's a serious question," Watters shot back.

"No, no it ain't," Ventura said. "No it ain't because I never sued the widow — I sued him."

"OK, well, she's suffering a lot of pain right now," Watters said back.

"No she isn't!" Ventura retorted.

"How do you know that?" Watters asked.

"Because insurance pays for it all. She hasn't paid one cent. How do I know it? It's my case," Ventura explained matter-of-factly.

"So you stand by that?" Watters questioned.

"The case got overturned because the truth came out: insurance is paying for all of it," Ventura explained. "It isn't costing [Kyle's] family a cent. That's the way legal works if you'd do your homework."

"Would you apologize to her?" Watters followed up.

"No!" Ventura shot back immediately. "She should apologize to me for the lie her husband told about me. Why would I apologize? I didn't do anything. You only apologize if you've done something wrong, pal."

Ventura filed a defamation lawsuit against Kyle in 2012 following the release of his best-selling book. Ventura claims that Kyle lied about an altercation the two had at a popular SEAL bar in California in 2006, which later hurt Ventura's standing in the tight-knit SEAL community.

A jury later awarded Ventura $1.8 million in 2014, $500,000 for defamation and $1.35 million for unjust enrichment. In the case, Kyle's wife, Taya, was listed as the defendant since she was executor of Kyle's estate. Kyle was murdered in February 2013 in an unrelated incident.

Taya later appealed the ruling, but it was upheld. However in June 2016, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals tossed out the 2014 judgement. According to CBS News, the judges tossed out the unjust enrichment award completely and sent the defamation part of the suit back to trial to be settled at a later date.

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