Chris Wallace

For other people named Chris Wallace, see Chris Wallace (disambiguation).

Chris Wallace
Wallace in 2010
Born
Christopher Wallace

(1947-10-12) October 12, 1947 (age 76)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Alma materHarvard University (BA)
Occupation(s)Television journalist and news anchor
Years active1964–present
Notable credits
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Elizabeth Jane Farrell
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1973, divorced)​
  • Lorraine (Martin) Smothers
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1997)​
Children6
Parents

Christopher Wallace (born October 12, 1947) is an American broadcast journalist. He is known for his tough and wide-ranging interviews, for which he is often compared to his father, 60 Minutes journalist Mike Wallace.[1] Over his 50-year career in journalism he has been a correspondent, moderator, or anchor on CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox News, and now CNN. In 2018 he was ranked one of America's most trusted TV news anchors.[2] He has won three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, a George Polk Award, the duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton Award, and a Paul White lifetime achievement award.[3][4]

As a teenager, Wallace became an assistant to Walter Cronkite during the 1964 Republican National Convention.[5] After graduating from Harvard University, he worked as a national reporter for The Boston Globe where he was described as an "aggressive and ambitious reporter".[6] After seeing the impact television had on news at the 1972 Republican National Convention, he focused on working on broadcast news, first at NBC (1975–1988), where he served as a White House correspondent alongside contemporaries CBS's Lesley Stahl and ABC's Sam Donaldson.[7] He also worked the anchor for NBC Nightly News and host of Meet the Press. He then worked for ABC, where he served as an anchor for Primetime Thursday and Nightline (1989–2003). He is the only person to have served as host and moderator of more than one of the major U.S. political Sunday morning talk shows, which he did during his time at NBC.[8] From 2003 to 2021, he hosted Fox News Sunday, on which his interviews with politicians such as Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin received acclaim.[9][10]

Wallace made history when he was chosen to moderate the final 2016 United States presidential debate between Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, this being the first for a Fox News journalist. He received praise from both sides of the aisle for his tough questioning of both presidential candidates, with The New York Times writing, "Mr. Wallace mixed humor with scolding and persistence with patience to guide his charges toward the most substantive encounter of an unusually vicious election."[11][12] He was chosen again to moderate the first 2020 United States presidential debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. After this debate, he referred to it as chaotic and unruly.[13] In 2022, he began hosting a new interview series titled Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? which airs on CNN and HBO Max.[14][15]

  1. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (June 14, 2020). "Chris Wallace, Insider and Outlier at Fox News". The New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  2. ^ "America's Most Trusted TV News Anchors Revealed (Exclusive Poll)". The Hollywood Reporter. November 13, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Anchor Chris Wallace is Known For Tough, But Fair, Interviews". International Center for Journalists. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "LChris Wallace Used to be a Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  7. ^ "Chris Wallace Is Fox News's Man in the Middle". Town & Country. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  8. ^ Bevan, Tom (September 18, 2015). "The New Dean of Sunday Mornings". RealClear Politics. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  9. ^ "Chris Wallace to Vladimir Putin: Why Do So Many Of Your Enemies Wind Up Dead?". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  10. ^ "5.8 Million Watch Chris Wallace Interview With President Trump". Forbes. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  11. ^ Rubin, Jennifer (October 26, 2016). "The mainstreaming of racism on Fox News". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 4, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  12. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (October 20, 2016). "Chris Wallace, Mixing Humor with Scolding Guides Final Debate". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  13. ^ Cherny, Tomas (October 3, 2020). "Corona virus and Fox news collide". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  14. ^ Winslow, George (February 23, 2022). "CNN+ Unveils Its Full Programming Slate". TVTechnology. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  15. ^ Hayes, Dade (May 18, 2022). "Chris Wallace Talk Show Headed To HBO Max And CNN Sunday Night Slot; New CNN Boss Chris Licht Vows To 'Challenge' Cable News Norms, Disrupt Mornings – Upfronts". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 18, 2022.