According to TVLine, Chris Wallace (Countdown 1945, The First Presidential Debate) is leaving CNN after three years of anchoring The Chris Wallace Show and hosting Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace. The veteran TV journalist informed The Daily Beast of his departure and how he is moving to platforms such as podcasting as they are both independent and “where the action seems to be” in this day in age. Therefore, he can gain more traction by staying with the times and his experience with journalism. “This is the first time in 55 years that I’ve been between jobs,” he continued on The Daily Beast. “I am actually excited and liberated by that.” Since 2021, Wallace has covered commentary and political analysis on the other CNN shows, including coverage of last week’s presidential election.
As mentioned by TVLine, Wallace started his TV career as an assistant to Walter Cronkite (Liberty’s Kids, CBS Evening News) in his teenage years during the early 1960s. When the 1980s came around, he transitioned into being a weekend anchor for NBC Nightly News, hosting Meet the Press and being a correspondent at the White House for NBC News. Before the 90s hit, Wallace moved to ABC and hosted Primetime Live and Nightline.
In 2003, he joined Fox News and stayed there for about two decades, hosting Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace noted by TVLine. He was the first Fox News journalist to regulate a presidential debate in 2016 with Donald Trump (The Little Rascals, Home Alone) and Hillary Clinton (America Decides, In Her Hands). He did it again in 2020 with Joe Biden (Parks and Recreation, The View) and Trump before moving to CNN.
Mark Thompson (Our Mutual Friend, The Royle Family), the CEO and chairman of CNN, spoke about Wallace in a statement. “Chris Wallace is one of the most respected political journalists in the news business with a unique track record across radio, print, broadcast television, cable television and streaming. We want to thank him for the dedication and wisdom he’s brought to all his work at CNN and to wish him the very best for the future.”