Chris Wallace leaves Fox News for CNN after 18 years [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Chris Wallace announced Sunday that he’s leaving Fox News after almost two decades “to try something new.”
• CNN announced that Wallace will be an anchor for its streaming service.
• The announcement came a week after CNN announced that Chris Cuomo had been terminated.

Longtime ‘Fox News Sunday’ anchor Chris Wallace announced that he is leaving Fox News for CNN’s upcoming streaming service. Wallace, 74, revealed the news during the Dec. 12 broadcast — his last appearance on the Sunday news program.

Wallace will host a weekday show that will feature interviews with people involved in politics, business, sports and culture, according to a statement by CNN.

“I look forward to the new freedom and flexibility streaming affords interviewing major figures across the news landscape — and finding new ways to tell stories,” Wallace said in the statement.

CNN chief Jeff Zucker praised Wallace for his tenure as a journalist and said he would be helping the network build its new streaming service.

“It is not often that a news organization gets the opportunity to bring someone of Chris Wallace’s caliber on board. He is as fine a journalist as there is in our business. This speaks volumes about our commitment to journalism and CNN+, and we are thrilled to have Chris on the ground floor of helping us build the next generation of CNN and news,” Zucker said.

The announcement came a week after CNN fired its longtime primetime anchor Chris Cuomo.

Wallace said he wanted to pursue opportunities “beyond politics.”

“I’m ready for a new adventure,” he added during his final “Fox News Sunday” appearance. “And I hope you’ll check it out.”

Fox News Media said in a statement that the company is “extremely proud of our journalism and the stellar team that Chris Wallace was a part of for 18 years.” It added that “Fox News Sunday” will have a list of rotating hosts until a permanent replacement is selected.

Wallace is the son of famed “60 Minutes” reporter Mike Wallace. He began his career in broadcast journalism at NBC News in 1975 and later worked for ABC News for 15 years before joining Fox in 2003.

Source: AOL