‘Fox News Sunday’ host Chris Wallace has announced he is leaving the network after 18 years to pursue opportunities “beyond politics.”
Wallace announced at the end of Sunday’s show that it would be his last as host of the series, and praised the news channel. “The bosses here at Fox promised me they would never interfere with a guest I booked or a question I asked, and they kept that promise,” he said, adding that it’d been a “great ride.”
Wallace is one of the most recognizable faces on Fox News, though he has earned a fair amount of critics, primarily among Donald Trump’s supporters. In the past, he has lightly criticized the more opinionated programs on Fox, many of which have been supportive of the former US president and critical of the broader media.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fox News' Chris Wallace: "After 18 years, I have decided to leave Fox. I want to try something new, to go beyond politics, to all of the things I'm interested in." <a href="https://t.co/vgMF8Ktdnr">pic.twitter.com/vgMF8Ktdnr</a></p>— The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1470048316155174917?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
“I don’t like them bashing the media,” Wallace previously told the Associated Press, referring to some of his more conservative colleagues, “because, oftentimes, what they’re bashing is stuff that we on the news side are doing. I don’t think they recognize that they have a role at Fox News and we have a role at Fox News. I don’t know what’s in their head. I just think it’s bad form.”
According to a report by NPR, Wallace had also recently objected to the ‘Patriot Purge’ series, a controversial three-part documentary by Fox News host Tucker Carlson about the January 6 Capitol riot.
It’s unknown what his next professional move will be, but many online commenters have already taken to theorizing as to where he could end up next.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: Chris Wallace announces he's QUITTING Fox News and 'Fox News Sunday.' Today was his last show.<br><br>My bet? He's going to CNN+.</p>— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1470046535547244548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How much do you want to bet Chris Wallace goes to CNN?</p>— Amy Tarkanian (@MrsT106) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrsT106/status/1470050836986355719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chris Wallace to Substack. <a href="https://t.co/sl7LHo0nfj">https://t.co/sl7LHo0nfj</a></p>— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1470045393350107136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Others offered support and praise for Wallace, though liberal critics used his exit to bash Fox News, and some conservatives celebrated his exit.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No one will miss Chris Wallace.</p>— Isabella Riley (@isabellarileyus) <a href="https://twitter.com/isabellarileyus/status/1470048720804790278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Good riddance to Chris Wallace.</p>— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarmineSabia/status/1470050595306446850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨BREAKING: Chris Wallace is leaving Fox News. Wallace’s presence at the network has often been exploited to pretend Fox News has a connection to legitimate journalism.</p>— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) <a href="https://twitter.com/KaivanShroff/status/1470049070228119560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
‘Fox News Sunday’ will have rotating guest hosts going forward until a permanent replacement is found.