People see Jesse Watters on Fox News every night and think they know the guy. He’s the sharp-tongued, smirk-wearing host of The Five and Jesse Watters Primetime. But before the prime-time slots and the massive New Jersey mansion, there was a different version of his life. For over a decade, that life included his first wife, Noelle Inguagiato.
Honestly, Noelle is a bit of a mystery compared to the loud, public persona of her ex-husband. She isn't out there chasing headlines. You won’t find her in a Twitter war. Most people only know her name because of the way her marriage ended—a messy, public split that involved a workplace affair and a lot of HR paperwork.
Who is Noelle Inguagiato?
Before she was Jesse Watters' ex-wife, Noelle was a professional in her own right. She didn't just meet Jesse at a bar; she was part of the Fox News machinery herself. Born and raised with a keen eye for style and media, Noelle worked in the marketing and promotions department at Fox. Specifically, she was a stylist and host for a web segment called iMag Style.
She and Jesse met early in their careers. They married in 2009. At that time, Jesse wasn't the face of the network yet. He was still the "ambush journalist" doing man-on-the-street segments for Bill O'Reilly. They were a young, ambitious media couple building a life in New York.
In 2011, their family grew. Noelle gave birth to twin daughters, Sophie and Ellie. Shortly after the girls were born, Noelle stepped away from her career at Fox to focus on being a full-time mom. It’s a classic story, right? One partner's career skyrockets while the other holds down the fort. For a few years, it seemed to work.
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The Affair That Changed Everything
The wheels started coming off in 2017. This wasn't just a quiet "growing apart" situation. It was explosive.
Jesse began an affair with a 25-year-old associate producer on his show, Watters' World, named Emma DiGiovine. The details that came out later were... well, they were something. Jesse actually admitted on air years later that he once let the air out of Emma’s tires so he could offer her a ride home. He presented it as a "romantic" move. A lot of people, including his co-hosts on The Five, found it more than a little creepy.
The Timeline of the Split
- October 2017: Noelle filed for divorce. This happened almost immediately after she discovered the relationship between Jesse and Emma.
- November 2017: Jesse reportedly informed Fox News management about the consensual relationship with his staffer.
- March 2018: The news went public. Papers like the New York Daily News broke the story, and suddenly the "family values" host was at the center of a cheating scandal.
- 2019: The divorce was finalized.
It wasn't a clean break. There was a lot of legal back-and-forth, especially concerning legal fees and support. Noelle reportedly requested that Jesse pay her legal bills, which is common in high-net-worth divorces where one spouse has been out of the workforce.
Life After Jesse: Where is She Now?
Since the divorce was finalized in 2019, Noelle has basically vanished from the public eye. She didn't write a "tell-all" book. She didn't go on a press tour.
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She lives a private life, mostly focused on raising her twin daughters. Based on her rare social media updates, like a Facebook post celebrating Sophie and Ellie’s 13th birthday in late 2024, she’s leaned heavily into motherhood. She lives in New York and seems to have maintained a dignified silence despite the constant tabloid interest in her ex-husband’s new family.
Jesse, on the other hand, moved fast. He married Emma DiGiovine in December 2019, just months after the divorce was final. They now have two children of their own, Jesse Jr. and Georgina.
The Blended Family Dynamic
Blending a family after an affair is notoriously difficult. You’ve got twins who were just kids when their parents split under pretty traumatic circumstances. Interestingly, Jesse recently spoke on The Sage Steele Show in early 2026 about how he didn't hesitate to get remarried. He credited Emma with having a "brilliant" strategy to win over the twins.
Whether that’s true or just good PR is something only Noelle and the girls really know.
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There’s a lot of talk about "D-Day" in the Watters household lately. Jesse joked on air that if Emma ever voted for a Democrat, it would be "D-Day" for their marriage. It’s the kind of comment that makes people look back at Noelle and wonder if she’s glad to be out of that spotlight.
What We Can Learn From the Watters Divorce
If you're looking at this story, it's usually for one of two reasons: you either love/hate Jesse’s politics, or you’re going through something similar.
Privacy is a choice. Noelle Inguagiato proves that you don't have to let a public betrayal define your entire future. By stepping away from the media circus, she’s protected her daughters and her own peace of mind.
Workplace boundaries matter. The fallout at Fox News was significant. Emma DiGiovine was moved to a different show (The Ingraham Angle) before eventually leaving the network altogether. These stories often end with the woman’s career taking the bigger hit, which is something to keep in mind if you ever find yourself in a "complicated" office romance.
If you’re following this because you’re navigating your own divorce, remember that the "winning" side isn't the one who moves on the fastest or posts the most photos. Often, the win is simply moving on with your dignity intact—something Noelle seems to have mastered.
Next Steps for Readers:
- Check the facts: If you see "leaked" details about Noelle on social media, be skeptical. She hasn't given an interview in years.
- Review your own HR policies: The Watters situation is a textbook example of why most modern companies have strict disclosure rules for office relationships.
- Focus on the kids: Both Jesse and Noelle seem to agree that the priority is the well-being of Sophie and Ellie, who are navigating their teenage years in a very public shadow.