Chris Wallace leaving Fox News after 18 years for new CNN streaming service
Longtime Fox News anchor Chris Wallace announced Sunday that he is leaving his Sunday news show, and CNN quickly announced he would be joining their new streaming service.
"After 18 years, this is my final 'Fox News Sunday,'" Wallace said. "It is the last time — and I say this with real sadness — we will meet like this. Eighteen years ago, the bosses here at Fox promised me they would never interfere with a guest I booked or a question I asked. And they kept that promise."
In 2016, Wallace was the first Fox News host to moderate a general election presidential debate. He highlighted covering five presidential elections, and had interviewed every president since George H.W. Bush. But, he said Sunday, "I want to try something new to go beyond politics to all the things I'm interested in" and said he is "ready for a new adventure."
Shortly after Wallace's announcement, CNN issued a statement announcing he was joining CNN+, the network's upcoming streaming network.
"It is not often that a news organization gets the opportunity to bring someone of Chris Wallace's caliber on board. He is as fine a journalist as there is in our business," said Jeff Zucker, CNN's president.
Fox News said in a statement that they are "extremely proud of our journalism and the stellar team that Chris Wallace was a part of for 18 years." Sunday was Wallace's last show and the show will be hosted by rotating news anchors until a permanent replacement is named.
The loss of Wallace comes just weeks after an NPR report that Wallace and political anchor Bret Baier objected to a three-part series from Tucker Carlson called "Patriot Purge" about the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Two high-profile contributors, Stephen Hayes and Jonah Goldberg, resigned in protest over the series, which Goldberg called "propaganda that weaves half-truths into a whole lie."
Wallace is a veteran news man who has spent more than 50 years in the business. Wallace joined Fox News in 2003, after 14 years at ABC News. Prior to joining ABC, he was NBC News' chief White House correspondent. He started his career in print.
Wallace is the son of the late "60 Minutes" icon Mike Wallace.
