- Washington Free Beacon - https://freebeacon.com -

Chris Wallace Signs Multi-Year Deal to Stay at Fox News

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace has signed a multi-year contract that will keep him at the network well past the 2020 election.

Wallace, the host of "Fox News Sunday," said that he is "honored" by the confidence Fox News chairman and acting CEO Rupert Murdoch has in him, the Hollywood Reporter reported Thursday.

 

Fox News wasn't specific about the length of Wallace's new deal, except to confirm that he will be there for the next presidential election.

Wallace, the biological son of "60 Minutes" reporter Mike Wallace and stepson of former CBS News president Bill Leonard, earned kudos from both the right and the left last year for his professionalism in moderating the third general presidential debate, the first time a Fox News host was invited to do so.

Prior to that, Wallace co-moderated the first Republican primary debate of the most recent presidential cycle, attracting 24 million viewers and setting a record for the most-watched non-sports cable telecast in history.

"Throughout his 50-plus years in broadcast journalism, Chris has established himself as one of the most esteemed journalists of our time," said Jay Wallace, Fox News Channel's president of news. "We are delighted to have him continue informing our viewers with his hard-hitting interviews and tough-minded reporting for years to come."

Wallace said that he will stay at Fox "well past" the 2020 election.

"After almost 14 years as the anchor of "Fox News Sunday," I think I am starting to get the hang of it," he quipped. "Rupert Murdoch has asked me to stay on the beat well past the 2020 election. I am honored by his confidence, and excited to keep reporting as part of the Fox News team."

Wallace, 69, got his start in the news industry as a 16-year-old assistant to legendary CBS anchor Walter Cronkite before working at the ABC and NBC news networks.

Wallace has been hosting "Fox News Sunday" since 2003, where he has had the opportunity to conduct hard-hitting interviews with political leaders like former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.