There’s a new Chris in town for CNN.
Within hours of announcing that he was leaving Fox News, long-time anchor Chris Wallace announced that he will be moving to CNN+, a streaming service that launches next year, according to CNN.
Wallace’s arrival comes days after CNN fired Chris Cuomo, who was under fire for his role in the political machinations of his brother, former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in response to sexual harassment allegations. Chris Cuomo was also facing an allegation of sexual misconduct at the time CNN fired him.
On Sunday morning, Wallace announced his departure from Fox News after 18 years in a farewell broadcast on “Fox News Sunday.”
He then announced he was jumping to the station’s rival.
In making the announcement, CNN said Wallace “retained a reputation of integrity as the channel he worked for leaned hard into right-wing and conspiratorial programming.”
Wallace, unlike his new network, did not jab Fox.
“I am thrilled to join CNN+. After decades in broadcast and cable news, I am excited to explore the world of streaming,” 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,” Wallace said
CNN said Wallace’s show will feature interviews with big names in politics, business, sports and culture.
Wallace’s contract at Fox News was up at the end of the year, according to The New York Times.
In saying goodbye to Wallace, Fox News said his replacement has not yet been named.
“We are extremely proud of our journalism and the stellar team that Chris Wallace was a part of for 18 years. The legacy of ‘Fox News Sunday’ will continue with our star journalists, many of whom will rotate in the position until a permanent host is named,” the statement said, according to the Times.
In his farewell, Wallace said he had no issues with Fox News.
“[T]he 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. I have been free to report to the best of my ability, to cover the stories I think are important, to hold our country’s leaders to account.It’s been a great ride,” he said.
“I want to try something new, to go beyond politics to all the things I’m interested in. I’m ready for a new adventure.”
While Wallace might be best known for his Sunday morning interviews, he’s also won fame — and some infamy — for his other activities.
His controversial performance as moderator of the first debate between then-President Donald Trump and then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden won him criticism from Trump supporters who saw the Wallace debate behavior as just part of the mainstream media’s relentless antagonism toward the Trump presidency.