Guides
Did Former Navy SEAL 'Robert J. O'Neill' Pretend To Be Multiple Masked Guests On Fox News? The Viral 'Jesse Watters' Conspiracy Theory Explained
The former Navy SEAL who claims to have shot al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden is being accused of appearing as multiple different masked guests on Fox News to spread an agenda.
The allegations originally came from X / Twitter, and they're spreading online fast, but O'Neill is threatening to sue the Occupy Democrats social media pages for sharing the claims.
So, what exactly is the conspiracy theory around Robert J. O'Neill, and is it true? Here's what we know.
What Is The 'Robert J. O'Neill' Conspiracy Theory?
In early October 2025, Fox News reporter Jesse Watters hosted an interview with someone on his program Jesse Watters, whom he claims is an ex-Antifa member.
In the interview, the ex-Antifa member talks about how violent the group is and how he saw the violence as a perk of joining the movement as a teen. Ultimately, the interview shone a negative light on the controversial anti-fascist group.
However, a few days later, X user @DecodingFoxNews posted a video comparing this segment to a past interview between Watters and an alleged ex-Mexican Mafia member.
The edit compares the two clips and suggests that the two masked men, despite having two very different backgrounds, are supposedly the same man based on the look of their eyes and their voices.
Now, it's being claimed that this man is former U.S. Navy SEAL Robert J. O'Neill, who also claims to have been the man to shoot Bin Laden (which is also refuted).
How Did 'Robert J. O'Neill' Respond To The Conspiracy Theory?
The conspiracy theory and ensuing controversy quickly spread online to platforms including X, Facebook and Reddit, garnering significant virality in early October 2025.
An image also started going around claiming that the masked man allegedly appeared a third time on Fox News as a Gazan, however, this picture has been proven to be fake.
Despite this, pages like Occupy Democrats shared the theory about O'Neill in posts that use the fake third image along with the two real Fox News appearances by the masked men.
After Occupy Democrats made their post, O'Neill got on X to deny the claims. He wrote, "This is EXTREMELY dangerous for my family. Reckless and untrue. You’re the ones who will now need lawyers."
While the theory is still spreading online, it is unproven and speculative, making it entirely possible that the masked men on Fox News were actually ex-Antifa and ex-Mexican Mafia members.
What Are Some More Reactions To The 'Robert J. O'Neill' Conspiracy Theory?
For the full history of the Robert J. O'Neill Masked Guest On Fox News Allegations, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.