Most people know her name from headlines about a high-profile divorce. But Noelle Inguagiato built a career long before tabloids got involved—and she’s carved out a completely different path since.
Quick Facts: Noelle Inguagiato
| Full Name | Noelle Inguagiato (formerly Noelle Watters) |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | May 5, 1976 |
| Age | 48 years old (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | New York City, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Scottish-Irish descent |
| Education | Fairfield University (BA); Long Island University (MA in Mental Health Counseling) |
| Profession | Mental Health Counselor, Former Fox News Stylist and Host |
| Children | Twin daughters, Ellie and Sophie Watters (born 2011) |
| Marital Status | Divorced (2019) |
| Current Residence | Washington DC |
| Estimated Net Worth | Around $1 million |
Noelle Inguagiato
She appears in older articles as “Noelle Watters,” the name she used during her marriage. Today, she goes by her maiden name—Noelle Inguagiato—in professional settings and mental health practice listings.
People search for her because of her connection to television host Jesse Watters. But reducing her to “Jesse Watters’ ex-wife” misses the bigger picture. She spent years at Fox News in multiple roles, raised twin daughters, earned a graduate degree, and transitioned into a completely new career field. Her story involves more than one public relationship—it’s about resilience and reinvention.
Who Is Noelle Inguagiato?
Born on May 5, 1976, in New York City, Noelle grew up in a family with Scottish-Irish roots. Her parents, Peter and Rosemary Inguagiato, raised her in New York. Not much about her childhood circulates publicly—she’s kept those details private throughout her life.
What we do know is that she stayed in the Northeast for her education and early career. She attended Fairfield University in Connecticut, focusing on English writing and art history. Those studies set her up for work in media and fashion, two fields where visual storytelling and communication matter. At 48 years old now, she’s lived in both New York and Washington DC, adapting to different phases of her personal and professional life.
Early Life And Education
Noelle’s college years gave her the foundation for a media career. At Fairfield University, she studied subjects tied to creativity and communication—useful skills for someone who’d eventually coordinate wardrobes and host lifestyle content on television.
Years later, she went back to school. After her marriage ended and her daughters were older, she enrolled at Long Island University for a master’s degree in mental health counseling. That wasn’t a casual decision. Graduate programs in counseling require significant coursework, clinical hours, and supervised training. Her choice to pursue that path showed a long-term commitment to a new direction.
University Studies And Academic Focus
Her undergraduate work prepared her for media roles, but her graduate training focused on something different: helping children and adolescents manage anxiety, ADHD, and other mental health challenges. This second round of education reshaped her career completely.
Career Highlights
Noelle’s professional journey started in public relations before she moved into television. She joined Fox News and worked behind the scenes as a wardrobe coordinator and stylist. That role put her in close contact with on-air personalities, helping them look polished and camera-ready.
Her work caught the attention of producers, and she eventually stepped in front of the camera herself. She hosted iMag Style, a web show covering fashion and lifestyle topics. She also worked as a senior editor and producer for Fox News Magazine, balancing creative direction with production responsibilities.
After leaving Fox News, she branched into interior design and lifestyle consulting. She worked on home design projects and created content for various clients. It was freelance work—flexible enough to fit around raising her daughters.
Then came the bigger shift. She went back to school for mental health counseling and now works with children and adolescents dealing with anxiety, developmental challenges, and behavioral issues. She’s listed with Kane Psychology PLLC and appears in professional directories like Psychology Today. Her clinical focus targets younger populations, a far cry from coordinating wardrobes for cable news hosts.
Key Career Milestones:
- Early 2000s: PR work and entry into Fox News
- Mid-2000s: Wardrobe stylist and coordinator at Fox News
- 2011–2012: Host of iMag Style and producer for Fox News Magazine
- Post-2015: Interior design consulting and lifestyle content creation
- 2020s: Licensed mental health counselor specializing in childhood and adolescent issues
Marriage To Jesse Watters
Noelle met Jesse Watters at Fox News in the mid-2000s. He was working as a producer and correspondent for The O’Reilly Factor. They started dating, and the relationship grew from an office romance into something more serious. They married in 2009.
Their twin daughters, Ellie and Sophie, were born in 2011. For a while, Noelle balanced work at Fox with motherhood. She eventually stepped back from on-air roles to focus more on her family. Jesse’s career kept climbing—he became a regular guest host and eventually got his own primetime show.
People often ask, “Who was Jesse Watters married to before Emma?” The answer is Noelle. She was his first wife, the mother of his children, and his partner during the years when his television profile really took off.
Family Life And Children
Raising twins isn’t easy, especially when both parents work in television. Noelle took on the majority of parenting responsibilities after stepping away from her on-camera work. She focused on creating stability for Ellie and Sophie while Jesse’s schedule grew more demanding.
Is Noelle Inguagiato Married?
No, she’s not remarried. Based on available records and professional listings, she uses her maiden name—Inguagiato—and there’s no indication she’s entered another marriage since her divorce finalized in 2019.
She keeps her personal life out of the public eye. There’s no active social media presence under either name. She doesn’t give interviews or share updates about her relationships. For someone who spent years in the media industry, she’s chosen the opposite route now—privacy over publicity.
Divorce, Legal Issues, And Public Controversy
The marriage fell apart after Noelle discovered Jesse was having an affair with Emma DiGiovine, an associate producer at Fox News. The timeline gets messy, but reports suggest the relationship between Jesse and Emma started in 2017 while he was still married.
Noelle filed for divorce in October 2017. The case dragged on for over a year before finalizing in March 2019. Media outlets covered the story heavily, partly because of the workplace power dynamics involved. Jesse was a well-known host; Emma worked under him. Fox News addressed the situation by transferring Emma to a different show, though both Jesse and Emma stayed with the network.
Court documents revealed disputes over legal fees and asset division. Noelle was granted primary custody of their daughters. Some reports mentioned disagreements over financial support and how the settlement was structured, though exact terms weren’t made public.
The divorce wasn’t just a personal crisis—it reshaped her public image. Suddenly, she was defined by the scandal rather than her own work. That likely influenced her decision to leave media entirely and retrain for a career where her ex-husband’s name wouldn’t follow her into every professional interaction.
Noelle Inguagiato Age
She was born on May 5, 1976, making her 48 years old in 2026. Older articles sometimes list her as 45 or 46 because they were written in 2022 or 2023. If you’re checking her age, make sure the source is recent.
She’s about nine years older than Emma DiGiovine, Jesse’s current wife. That age difference got mentioned in some coverage of the divorce, though it’s not particularly relevant to her life now.
Lifestyle And Life Today
Noelle lives in Washington DC, where she works as a licensed mental health counselor. Her practice focuses on children and adolescents, particularly those dealing with anxiety, ADHD, and developmental challenges. She’s affiliated with Kane Psychology PLLC and maintains a professional profile on Psychology Today.
She doesn’t appear on social media. There are no Instagram posts, no Twitter updates, no LinkedIn activity tied to her name. For someone who once hosted a web show and worked in television, that absence is deliberate. She’s built a life that doesn’t depend on public attention.
Her daughters are teenagers now, and by all accounts, she’s focused on raising them away from the spotlight. She didn’t chase media opportunities after the divorce. She didn’t write a tell-all or give interviews about the affair. She went back to school, got licensed in a new field, and moved on.
Assets And Noelle Inguagiato Net Worth
Most estimates put her net worth around $1 million. That figure comes from her years in media, consulting work, and likely the divorce settlement. But it’s not a verified number—there are no public financial disclosures, and private settlements don’t get detailed in court filings.
Her education and career moves suggest financial stability. Graduate school isn’t cheap, and setting up a counseling practice requires investment. She’s also raising two kids, which means she’s managing household expenses on her own.
It’s worth noting that “net worth” estimates for private individuals are usually guesswork. They’re based on assumptions about salary ranges, real estate, and settlement terms. Take the $1 million figure as an approximation, not a fact.
Career Shift Into Mental Health Counseling
This part of her story doesn’t get enough attention. Moving from television styling and hosting into clinical mental health work isn’t a lateral shift—it’s a complete career overhaul.
She earned a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Long Island University. That program involves classroom work, supervised clinical practice, and exams for licensure. She specializes in working with children and adolescents, focusing on anxiety disorders, ADHD, and behavioral issues.
Her profile on Psychology Today lists her clinical approach and the populations she serves. She’s not dabbling in counseling as a side project—she’s a licensed professional with training and credentials. That takes years of commitment, especially for someone who was already established in another field.
It’s a meaningful pivot. She went from coordinating outfits and producing lifestyle content to helping kids manage emotional and developmental challenges. That’s not a decision you make lightly.
How The Public Sees Noelle Inguagiato
Most of the media coverage about her centers on the affair and the divorce. Articles from 2018 and 2019 leaned heavily into the scandal—headlines focused on Jesse’s infidelity, workplace ethics, and the messiness of the split.
Newer biographical pieces take a different tone. They mention the marriage and divorce but spend more time on her career, education, and current work. She’s portrayed as someone who moved on quietly rather than turning personal drama into a public spectacle.
There’s very little first-person commentary from her. She hasn’t given interviews or made public statements about the divorce, her ex-husband, or her current life. Most information comes from professional listings, court records, and articles that piece together timelines from public sources.
That silence works in her favor. She’s not defined by someone else’s mistakes anymore. She’s a working professional, a mother, and someone who chose privacy over publicity. That’s a rare thing in an era where everyone shares everything online.
Noelle Inguagiato’s story isn’t about one marriage or one scandal. It’s about adapting when life doesn’t go as planned. She built a career in media, stepped away to focus on family, watched her marriage fall apart publicly, and then retrained for a completely different profession. She’s raising her daughters in Washington DC, working with kids who need support, and keeping her personal life private. That’s not dramatic—but it’s real, and it’s hers.
