Showtime’s ‘The Circus’ to replace Mark Halperin with Alex Wagner

Showtime’s “The Circus” show on politics is set to replace longtime host Mark Halperin with CBS News anchor Alex Wagner, following the sexual harassment allegations leveled against Halperin, The New York Times reported Wednesday. 

Wagner, a former MSNBC host, will now join Halperin’s old co-hosts, Mark McKinnon and John Heilemann, who worked with Halperin on several books and the Bloomberg TV series “With All Due Respect.” 

A veteran ABC News reporter, Halperin was removed from the political documentary series after reports surfaced in October detailing the unwanted sexual advances he made against co-workers at the network. 

Halperin also lost his MSNBC contract and publishing deal with Heilemann for a book on the 2016 presidential election, which was set to be the latest in the duo’s successful “Game Change” series on presidential races. 

“We all strongly believe that the success of the show is not based on the co-hosts — it’s based on the concept,” McKinnon told the newspaper, adding that everyone wanted the show to continue after Halperin’s departure. “No one co-host was irreplaceable.”

Halperin’s firing came amid the firings of other major media and entertainment figures for allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment, including NBC’s Matt Lauer. 

The former host has apologized for any “aggressive” behavior toward female colleagues but has denied the allegations of assault and groping.