Chris Wallace, the 77-year-old former Fox News anchor, announced Monday he’s departing CNN after just three years at the struggling network to venture into streaming and podcasting — a move that signals a fundamental shift in how Americans consume news.
“This is the first time in 55 years I’ve been between jobs,” Wallace said. “I am actually excited and liberated by that.”
The son of CBS legend Mike Wallace and a fixture across major cable news networks over five decades, Wallace admitted the future of journalism moving away from traditional broadcasts. He points to the outsized influence of independent voices like Joe Rogan and Charlamagne tha God during the recent presidential election.
“When I look at the media landscape right now, the people who are going independent, whether it’s podcasting or streaming, that seems to be where the action is,” Wallace said, though adding modestly, “I don’t flatter myself to think I will have that sort of reach.”
His departure comes amid CNN’s broader struggles. After joining in 2021 as the face of CNN+, Wallace watched the streaming service collapse within a month.
His subsequent shows failed to find an audience, with “The Chris Wallace Show” often drawing under 600,000 viewers. Sources say CNN offered to extend his reported $8.5 million contract at a significantly reduced rate.
Rather than retire — something he said his family opposes — Wallace is betting on digital media’s future
CNN CEO Mark Thompson praised Wallace as “one of the most respected political journalists in the news business,” while facing his own tough decisions about the network’s future in a transformed media landscape.
For Wallace, the choice is clear: follow the audience, wherever they’re going.
“Having control over what I do is more appealing at this stage of my career,” he said, promising to maintain his nonpartisan approach in whatever venture comes next.