Chris Wallace to get new show on CNN

Executives at CNN plan to give anchor Chris Wallace a Sunday evening show on the network after its subscription-based streaming service, which he was previously hired to work for, was abruptly shuttered last month.

News of plans for Wallace’s show was first reported by Axios, which noted executives from CNN’s new parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, would announce the move during the company’s “upfront” presentation to advertisers on Wednesday.

Wallace left his longtime gig hosting “Fox News Sunday” late last year to join CNN as it launched the short-lived subscription-based streaming service CNN+.

Executives at Warner Bros. Discovery shut the service down after less than 30 days due to a lack of subscribers.

Wallace’s show on CNN+, “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” will now be available on HBO Max, the company said, with portions of the interviews he conducts with various newsmakers broadcast on CNN on Sunday evenings. 

Since CNN+ shuttering, questions have surrounded Wallace’s future and the editorial direction of CNN, which is now led by new president Chris Licht, who began in the role this month.

“Part of the CNN brand is respectful, authentic and impactful interviews and one of the best interviewers in the business is Chris Wallace,” Licht said in an announcement sent by the network during Wednesday’s upfront presentation. “Chris and his team developed an engaging and compelling program that we’re excited to bring to HBO Max and include in our CNN Sunday evening programming.”

“I’m in good shape, whether it’s CNN or someplace else,” Wallace said during an event last month. “Frankly, what I’m mostly concerned about right now, and very, is my team and hundreds of other people … that had jobs at CNN+.”

Axios noted during Wednesday’s upfront presentation that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said of the network: “At a time where most news networks are advocacy networks, we at CNN intend to advocate for journalism first.”

–Updated at 11:50 a.m.