CNN anchor Chris Wallace is departing from the network to pursue different media fields after three years at the cable news network.
Wallace has stated he wants to join others in creating his own independent outlet through streaming or a podcast “where the action seems to be,” referencing the success podcast hosts like Joe Rogan have experienced through their shows. In leaving CNN, Wallace noted how it marks the first time in over 50 years that he is “between jobs,” adding that he is both “excited and liberated” by this, according to a report.
“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,” CNN CEO and Chairman Mark Thompson said in a statement the network provided to the Washington Examiner. “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.”
CNN has confirmed to the Washington Examiner that The Chris Wallace Show will continue to air for the next several weeks on Saturdays as scheduled. Wallace’s other show, Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, will air its final episode this Friday.
A report on Wallace’s departure claimed that CNN wanted the anchor to stay with the network, with Wallace stating he has “nothing but positive things to say” about CNN. He also stated he is determining what digital format would suit him best, adding that “not knowing is part of the challenge.”
“I‘m waiting to see what comes over the transom,” Wallace said. “It might be something that I haven’t thought of at all.”
Prior to his three years at CNN, Wallace served as the host of Fox News’s Fox News Sunday, a role he is arguably best known for in his journalistic career. He became the first Fox News anchor to be nominated for an Emmy for his 2018 interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was also the network’s first anchor to host a presidential debate in 2016 for the general election.
Following the announcement of Wallace’s departure, X user Colin Rugg suggested that Wallace was “inspired” by commentator Tucker Carlson’s success on X, where Carlson has a very popular show in which he hosts lengthy discussions with various guests. Like Wallace, Carlson previously worked for Fox News before parting ways with the network in 2023.
JUST IN: Chris Wallace to quit CNN as he apparently seems to think the mainstream media is dying, says he is thinking about getting into podcasting.
Wallace told the Daily Beast that streaming and podcasting is “where the action seems to be.”
“This is the first time in 55 years… pic.twitter.com/SI1iXlO32H
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 12, 2024
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Independent journalist Kyle Becker similarly assessed that Wallace was leaving CNN since “podcasters and X are killing it,” referring to both the success Carlson and podcast hosts such as Rogan have experienced in recent years. Ahead of the 2024 election, President-elect Donald Trump partook in multiple podcast interviews to reach out to younger voters.
JUST IN: Chris Wallace is quitting the establishment media.
Why? Because podcasters and @X are killing it
Wallace told the Daily Best that he will end his time on CNN at the end of 2024, which he said was “quite liberating.”
“This is the first time in 55 years I‘ve been… pic.twitter.com/BiG3Afn9Ne
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) November 12, 2024
Wallace’s departure comes after CNN fired anchor Don Lemon in April 2023, who has since started his own show, simply titled, The Don Lemon Show, which he started in March of this year.