Longtime “Fox & Friends” star Steve Doocy fought back tears Thursday morning as he announced he was quitting his position from the show’s iconic “curvy couch” in Manhattan, trading his New York studio job for a new job as the program’s “coast-to-coast host” based in Florida.
“After decades of getting up at 3:30 and driving into NYC in the dark, today is the last day I will host the show…from the couch,” Doocy told viewers during Thursday’s emotional broadcast. “I am not retiring, I’m not leaving the show. I’m still a host — but it’s time for a change.”
The beloved Fox News star, who turns 70 next year, will now appear remotely three days a week from Florida, focusing on on-the-ground features that have become his signature segments over a career spanning nearly three decades with the network.
Doocy recounted how the punishing schedule of morning television has affected his family life, comparing his routine to the famous 1980s Dunkin’ Donuts commercial where a sleepy worker wakes before dawn.
“Do you remember the eighties Dunkin’ Donuts commercial where the alarm clock goes off at 3:30? ‘It’s time to make the donuts,'” Doocy explained. “For the last 30 years when my alarm clock goes off—at 3:30—if it wakes up my wife Kathy, she always says, ‘It’s time to make the donuts.’ And I say, you’re right, ‘It’s time to make the donuts,’ and I get up and go to work.”
Doocy revealed his alarm has sounded 6,828 times throughout his career. “That, ladies and gentlemen, is a lot of donuts,” he quipped. “It’s a great job… but the hours suck.”
President Donald Trump, a longtime friend of the show and frequent guest before his first presidential run, recorded a special message for the occasion.
“Hi Steve, it’s your all-time favorite president,” Trump said in the tribute. “I just think you’re a fantastic guy. You’ve always treated me fairly – sometimes a little more fairly than other times, but that’s okay.”
Trump praised both Doocy and his son, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy: “You are a very, very good man, and your son is gonna represent you well. Peter’s of equal talent, at least in fact, you would say he’s even better than you.”
The transition came after discussions with Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, whom Doocy described as “a friend for over 30 years.”
“She gave me a great option — to keep working on this show… just not every day,” Doocy explained. “Essentially it’s the Johnny Carson deal. Remember Johnny worked his three days in Burbank, and I’ll be based in Florida. Which means you may never see me in a necktie again.”
The new arrangement will allow Doocy to spend more time with family — something his early morning schedule rarely permitted during his children’s formative years.
“When my kids were growing up, I never had breakfast with them. I was here. Kathy did everything,” he said. “But starting tomorrow, I’m going to have breakfast with my grandkids and my children whenever I can.”
Doocy’s immediate plans include visiting his newborn grandson George in Washington, DC, and then traveling to Dallas to see his daughter Sally, who is expecting a baby boy in July.
While his role is changing, Doocy assured viewers his voice will remain a fixture on the program. “I will continue to join this couch crew for commentary. You have trusted me for all these years and don’t worry, you will still hear my voice and my opinions loud and clear—despite whatever seasonal pollen is killing me.”
The emotional announcement included personal tributes to his co-hosts Brian Kilmeade, Ainsley Earhardt, and Lawrence Jones, who will continue hosting from the New York studio.
“After a little vacation, I will be back on the show via the magic of television, where somewhere somebody will ask me – is Ainsley really that sweet? I will say, she is,” Doocy said. “Is Lawrence really that much fun? He is indeed.”
In a fitting final sign-off before beginning his new chapter, Doocy summarized his transition: “I’m transitioning from ‘It’s time to make the donuts’ to ‘It’s time to make the breakfast, Grandpa.’ Now step on it.”