Chris Wallace departs CNN after three years at network

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Chris Wallace, the veteran journalist who has anchored weekly programs on CNN and the Max streaming service, is leaving the network, he announced Monday.

Wallace, 77, who signed a three-year contract with CNN in December 2021, told The Daily Beast that “this is the first time in 55 years I’ve been between jobs. I am actually excited and liberated by that.”

CNN chief executive Mark Thompson confirmed Wallace’s departure on Monday evening.

“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,” Thompson said. “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.”

Wallace was one of the faces of CNN’s election night coverage just last week, so his exit may come as a surprise to viewers. But it is common for TV news anchor contracts to align with presidential election cycles and for networks to make major adjustments in the months afterward.

In this case, Wallace told The Daily Beast that he decided to leave CNN to explore new platforms like streaming or podcasting. Of CNN, he remarked, “I have nothing but positive things to say. CNN has been very good to me.”

Wallace declined to further comment on his decision.

Wallace shocked many TV insiders when he left his longtime Sunday morning home, “Fox News Sunday,” three years ago. He subsequently told interviewers that he had grown uncomfortable with the “conspiracy and lies” that were promoted by certain Fox programs.

At the time, Wallace accepted a new role as the anchor of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” on CNN+, a streaming video product that launched in early 2022, but was shuttered weeks later when CNN’s parent company changed hands.

Wallace’s talk show continued on the Max streaming service, and last year he added an eponymous Saturday morning panel discussion show.

A CNN spokesperson confirmed that Wallace’s shows will conclude at the end of their scheduled run later this year.