Veteran anchor Chris Wallace has left Fox News after 18 years for CNN, dealing a significant blow to Fox's news operation at a time that it has been overshadowed by the network's opinion side.
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Wallace delivered the surprising news that he was leaving at the end of the Fox News Sunday show he moderates, and within two hours CNN announced he was joining its new streaming service as an anchor. CNN+ is expected to debut in early 2022.
"He is the most tenacious interviewer in the television business, based on intense preparation and plain old persistence," said Howard Kurtz, host of Fox's Media Buzz. "He has the kind of seasoned judgment that only comes from so many years of covering political issues and he may be the best debate moderator ever."
Kurtz said it was "a major loss for Fox News, no question about it."
Wallace said that he wanted to "try something new, to go beyond politics to all the things I'm interested in."
In CNN's announcement, he said, "I look forward to the new freedom and flexibility streaming affords in interviewing major figures across the news landscape – and finding new ways to tell stories."
CNN said more details about Wallace's new role will be forthcoming.
