Chris Wallace revealed on Monday that he is ending his three-year tenure at CNN to pivot to streaming and podcasting.
The news veteran, who is 77, is leaving behind a 7-figure salary when his contract ends in December, The Daily Beast reports.
Wallace cited influential podcasters Joe Rogan and Charlamagne tha God as the model he wants to follow, although he added, “I don’t flatter myself to think I will have that sort of reach.”
He described his exit from broadcast television after a 51-year career as “quite liberating.”
Wallace got his start at local TV in Chicago in 1973, and went on to work for NBC, ABC and Fox News Sunday before joining CNN.
“This is the first time in 55 years I’ve been between jobs,” he said. “I am actually excited and liberated by that.”
However, he had “nothing but positive things to say” about the network, noting, “CNN has been very good to me.” Currently, he anchors “The Chris Wallace Show” on Saturday mornings and “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?,” which streams on Max. He was also one of the anchors of CNN’s own streamer, the short-lived CNN+.
His exit makes him perhaps the most established media figure to leave broadcast TV for other platforms, following former Fox News anchors Megyn Kelly, whose Sirius XM YouTube page has 2.93 million followers, and Tucker Carlson, who has 3.36 YouTube subscribers. British host Piers Morgan also has a sizable audience on YouTube with 3.49 million subscribers.
Wallace’s departure was confirmed to TheWrap by CNN CEO and chairman Mark Thompson: “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. 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.”
The Daily Beast first reported this story.
