On Sunday, it was reported that insiders at Fox News reacted to former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace after a story in Sunday’s New York Times quoted Wallace as saying a prime reason he left —later signing with CNN — was because “when people start to question the truth — Who won the 2020 election? Was Jan. 6 an insurrection? — I found that unsustainable.” He added, “I wanted to get out of politics. … Doing a Sunday show on the incremental change from week to week in the Build Back Better plan began to lose its attraction.” He said of his new show, “I don’t have to say, you know, ‘Wolf Blitzer starts right now at 6:59:59.’”
According to The Daily Mail, one “insider” retorted, “Chris Wallace’s Fox News Sunday was fourth in a four-horse race and never got out of 4th place throughout his entire 18 years of hosting the show. He was the only anchor at Fox not to helm a number one show. … This story really isn’t surprising. What’s shocking is it took Chris 18 years to leave but I suppose when you’re earning millions upon millions of dollars every year, you’re happy to stay and amass great wealth and a personal fortune that his viewers could only ever dream of.”
Another “insider” seethed, “Clearly he’s launching a new show, so he needs eyeballs and bashing Fox is an easy way to try and get viewers to find him at his new home.” The “insider” added, “Also, what a way to start — let’s announce you’re happy not to throw to Wolf Blitzer. Take note CNN, your new hire will only ever be loyal to himself and not the company that is sending a Brinks truck full of cash to his personal bank.”
Wallace, 74, who reportedly made about $7 million a year at Fox News, will start his new show “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” on CNN’s new streaming service on Tuesday.
In the Times article, he confirmed that he had been so upset by Tucker Carlson’s documentary “Patriot Purge” that he complained to Fox News management. He asserted, “Before, I found it was an environment in which I could do my job and feel good about my involvement at Fox.” He continued, “And since November of 2020, that just became unsustainable, increasingly unsustainable as time went on.”
Wallace left Fox News in December. He told the Times, “Some people might have drawn the line earlier, or at a different point. … I think Fox has changed over the course of the last year and a half.” He added wryly, “But I can certainly understand where somebody would say, ‘Gee, you were a slow learner, Chris.’”
On December 12, his last show on Fox News , Wallace stated, “After 18 years this is my final Fox News Sunday. It is the last time, and I say this with real sadness, we will meet like this. Eighteen years ago, the bosses here at Fox promised they would never interfere with a guest I booked or a question I asked. And they kept that promise.”
Asked about Fox News’ commentators and their opinions vis-avis the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Wallace answered, “One of the reasons that I left Fox was because I wanted to put all of that behind me. … there has not been a moment when I have second-guessed myself about that decision.”