CNN Host Chris Wallace Leaves Network After 3 Years To Explore Potential Full-Time Podcasting Career

CNN anchor Chris Wallace confirmed Monday that he is leaving the ratings-challenged cable network to try broadcasting on an independent platform.

The 77-year-old broadcaster revealed his future plans in an interview with the Daily Beast after spending the past three years at CNN.

He said he wants to turn to broadcasting, or podcasting, claiming it’s “where the action seems to be,” according to the outlet.

The transition for Wallace comes at the end of a three-year contract with CNN. He had previously spent nearly 20 years working at Fox News.

“This is the first time in 55 years I’ve been in the middle of work,” he reportedly said. “I’m actually excited and relieved about it.”

CNN executives reportedly wanted to keep Wallace, the son of famed journalist Mike Wallace, but he decided to make a move before contact talks began.

“I have nothing but positive things to say. CNN has been very good to me,” he told the Daily Beast.

“Chris Wallace is one of the most respected political journalists in the news business with a unique history in radio, print, television, cable and broadcast,” CNN CEO and Chairman Mark Thompson said in a press release.

“We want to thank him for the dedication and wisdom he has brought to all of his work at CNN and wish him the best for the future.”

However, Wallace, who was brought on board for a salary said to be around $8 million a year, was expected to be a cost-cutting renegotiation for CNN, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Wallace was offered a new deal for much less than what he now makes under former CNN chairman Jeff Zucker, The Ankler reported last month.

Wallace, who started working at a local Chicago station in the early 1970s, said he has no plans to be either “an advocate for the hard right or the hard left.”

“It’s just missing in my DNA,” he reportedly said, adding that he’s still figuring out what broadcast or podcast format to put together.

Wallace was quick to point out early on election night that Vice President Kamala Harris would need a miracle to beat Donald Trump, as early exit polls showed.

His final Friday show, “Who’s Talking With Chris Wallace,” is expected this week, while “The Chris Wallace Show” on Saturdays will continue through the end of the year, the LA Times reported.

CNN has struggled in the ratings in recent years and was behind Fox News and MSNBC in the ratings during election night coverage.