CNN host Chris Wallace confirmed Monday he is leaving the ratings-challenged cable television network to try out broadcasting on an independent platform.
The 77-year-old broadcaster revealed his future plans in an interview with the Daily Beast after spending the past three years at CNN.
He said he wants to pivot to streaming or podcasting, claiming that’s “where the action seems to be,” according to the outlet.
Veteran anchor Chris Wallace is leaving CNN to focus on podcasting. EPA
The transition for Wallace comes at the end of a three-year contract with CNN. He had previously spent nearly 20 years working at Fox News.
“This is the first time in 55 years I‘ve been between jobs,” he reportedly said. “I am actually excited and liberated by that.”
CNN bosses reportedly wanted to keep Wallace, the son of famed newsman Mike Wallace, but he decided to take the plunge before contact talks got underway.
“I have nothing but positive things to say. CNN has been very good to me,” he told the Daily Beast.
Wallace worked at CNN for the last 3 years after exiting Fox News. CNN
“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,” CNN CEO and Chairman Mark Thompson said in a statement to the outlet.
“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.”
Still, Wallace, who was brought aboard for a salary reportedly around $8 million per year, was expected to be a cost-cutting renegotiation for CNN, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Wallace had been offered a new deal from much less than what he made now under ex-CNN head honcho Jeff Zucker, The Ankler reported last month.
Wallace, who started out at a local Chicago station in the early 1970s, said he doesn’t have plans to be either “a hard-right or hard-left advocate.”
“It’s just absent from my DNA,” he reportedly said, adding he’s still figuring out what streaming or podcast format he’ll put together.
Wallace was quick to point out early into election night that Vice President Kamala Harris would need a miracle to beat Donald Trump as early exit polls trickled out.
His final Friday show, “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” is expected to be this week while “The Chris Wallace Show” on Saturdays will be on until the end of the year, the LA Times reported.
CNN has struggled with ratings in recent years and was behind Fox News and MSNBC in ratings during election night coverage.