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Chris Wallace, CNN part ways with final show highlighting memorable moments
Veteran news anchor Chris Wallace and CNN officially parted ways Saturday, with his final show featuring a montage of highlights from his short time with the outlet.
The reel featured Wallace enthusiastically showing off his Swifty bracelet — a nod to popstar Taylor Swift — as well as tech journalist Kara Swisher wearing a VR headset and Reihan Salam dancing like Snoopy from "Charlie Brown" Snoopy, among other memorable moments from the "Chris Wallace Show."
“Finally, it’s time to say goodbye. I’ve treasured spending Saturday mornings with you," he said in his farewell message, highlighted by Mediaite.
"When I came up with the idea for this program, I thought it would be useful to have an intelligent, generally respectful conversation about all manner of subjects with smart people coming from different perspectives, mostly politics and policy, but also intriguing cultural issues and fun topics ranging from Taylor Swift’s latest album to the merits of fake Christmas trees," he said.
Wallace continued, "In the year-plus we’ve been on the air, many of you have written to say how much you enjoy our discussions. That’s what this is all about."
His comments come after it was announced earlier this month that the veteran newscaster, formerly from Fox News, would be leaving CNN to pursue other media endeavors — such as working for a streaming service or podcasting. The Daily Beast was the first to report on his looming departure.
In his final show, Wallace was joined by several of his most popular panelists including Salam, Lulu Garcia-Navarro, and Kristen Soltis Anderson.
"Just as important, all of us on the panel have become friends, sharing stories about our families and remedies when one of those houses scratchy throat. And I’m so grateful to the talented staff that has put the show together, producing the set-up pieces, creating clever graphics, and coming up with some of the best ideas for topics," Wallace said.
"But in today’s media world, the one constant is change. For years, I’ve been wanting to explore new media where you can have more agency over what you’re doing and engage in a more intimate conversation," he continued. "So maybe this isn’t really goodbye. Let’s just say until next time."
His departure comes as the network’s new CEO Mark Thompson initiated more than 100 layoffs and reportedly offered to renew Wallace’s contract at a reduced rate according to Adweek.
Thompson, in a statement to The Hill following the news, called Wallace “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.”