Embattled former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace’s new show on CNN has bombed on its debut, getting crushed in the ratings by the rival offering from his old network.
CNN’s much-touted interview show, titled “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” racked up only 43,800 viewers in the key 25-54 age demographic, according to a report from RadarOnline.
Wallace’s show lost big to Fox News’s Sunday evening show hosted by former Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-SC).
Wallace’s show premiered at 7 p.m. Sunday and only attracted 401,000 total viewers.
To add to Wallace’s pain, the program was down double digits in every category from 2022.
According to RadarOnline:
“The debut of Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace scored a paltry 44,000 viewers in the all-important ratings category, RadarOnline.com has learned.
“The legendary broadcaster’s new show on CNN premiered on Sunday and was only able to deliver 401,000 viewers in the 7 PM/ET hour.
“Wallace pulled in only 43,800 in the 25-54 age demo.
“To make matters worse, the program was down double digits across every category versus the 2022 average.”
In comparison, “Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy” pulled in more than triple Wallace’s total viewers with over 1.3 million.
He also nearly doubled Wallace’s number in the key demographic, racking up 78,000 viewers aged 25-54.
Critics were quick to pile on Wallace.
The struggling anchor abruptly left “Fox News Sunday” in December of 2021.
Many are suggesting that perhaps Wallace is now regretting the move and wishing he had stayed with Fox.
“FoxNews made Chris Wallace, didn’t need him. Ratings don’t lie,” Mike Cernovich tweeted.
Wallace initially said when he left the network, he was just looking for a change.
“After 18 years, I have decided to leave FOX,” he explained during his final “Fox News Sunday” broadcast.
“I want to try something new, to go beyond politics, to all of the things I’m interested in.
“I’m ready for a new adventure, and I hope you’ll check it out.
“And so, for the last time dear friends, that’s it for today.”
Wallace later claimed that he had found the situation at FOX — particularly in the wake of January 6th — to be “unsustainable.”
“I’m fine with opinion: conservative opinion, liberal opinion,” Wallace said.
“But when people start to question the truth — ‘Who won the 2020 election?’ ‘Was Jan. 6 an insurrection?’ — I found that unsustainable.
“I spent a lot of 2021 looking to see if there was a different place for me to do my job,” he said.
Within days of leaving FOX, Wallace had announced his plan to move to CNN+.
However, the streaming service launched, floundered, and folded in less than a month.
Wallace has since been left scrambling, unsuccessfully, to save his career.
