Former Bravo television personality and current podcaster Jennifer Welch is facing backlash after making controversial remarks about white people in red states during an appearance on CNN’s NewsNight — remarks that resurfaced alongside her own racially charged comments about a Black family who moved into her neighborhood, as reported [1] by The Western Journal.
Welch, co-host of the I’ve Had It podcast, appeared on CNN earlier this month, where she claimed that white people in conservative areas routinely “test the racist water.”
“I’m a white woman that has lived in a red state my entire life, and I can tell you when I’m around white people, they test the racist water,” Welch said. “They test it on people like you all, all the time.”
Her comments, which appeared directed toward the Black guests on the CNN panel, drew widespread criticism on social media. Welch continued, “And they’ll try to say off-color things. I put my hand up. It absolutely happens.”
“I’m a white woman that has lived in a red state my entire life, and I can tell you when I’m around white people, they test the racist water. They test it on people like you all, all the time.”
Jennifer Welch baselessly accuses all white people in red states of being racist. pic.twitter.com/3EZAxf4uCY [2]
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) October 16, 2025 [3]
The remarks quickly went viral, with many users calling out Welch’s broad generalizations about people living in red states.
However, the backlash deepened when past audio clips surfaced showing Welch making racially insensitive comments about a Black family in her own predominantly white neighborhood.
In the resurfaced recording, Welch said, “I live in a, I would say, 99.9 percent white neighborhood. So my husband comes home from work and goes, ‘Well, the weirdest thing just happened.’ The house two blocks south of us put up two MAGA signs in their front yard.”
She then added, “And they’re black.”
Welch continued, “How’s that? You are the only Black family that lives in this godforsaken whiteness, and they’re f***ing MAGA.”
Jennifer Welch & her husband are outraged that a Black family in her white suburban neighborhood put out Trump MAGA signs in their front yard. How dare Black people have a different political opinion than her. pic.twitter.com/AJ9QJQmZNg [4]
— Joanne_Lopez_Dow (@dow_lopez) August 12, 2025 [5]
The clip has reignited accusations of hypocrisy, with critics arguing that Welch’s rhetoric toward the Black family contradicts her self-proclaimed opposition to racism.
The timing of the viral footage has prompted renewed discussion about double standards in media coverage of racially charged statements made by liberal public figures.
Neither Welch nor CNN has issued a public response to the resurfaced recording. CNN’s NewsNight segment featuring Welch remains available online, though network representatives have declined to comment on the controversy.
Welch, who previously appeared on Bravo’s Sweet Home Oklahoma and Sweet Home, has reinvented herself as a podcast host and self-described commentator on “modern culture and authenticity.”
The controversy has drawn renewed scrutiny to her podcast content, which often discusses politics and social identity from a progressive perspective.
While the CNN clip continues circulating across social platforms, the resurfaced neighborhood comments have fueled ongoing criticism that Welch’s remarks exemplify a pattern of ideological bias among left-leaning media contributors.