History of Chris Wallace in Timeline
Chris Wallace is a prominent American broadcast journalist renowned for his incisive interviewing style, often drawing comparisons to his father, Mike Wallace. Spanning six decades, his career includes roles as a correspondent, moderator, and anchor across major networks such as CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox News, and CNN. Recognized as one of America's most trusted news anchors, Wallace has received numerous accolades, including three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, a George Polk Award, and the duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton Award, solidifying his legacy in the field of journalism.
1942: Brother Peter Born
In 1942, Chris Wallace's elder brother, Peter, was born.
October 12, 1947: Christopher Wallace Born
On October 12, 1947, Christopher Wallace was born.
1959: Lorraine Smothers born
In 1959, Lorraine Smothers (née Martin), who would later become Chris Wallace's second wife, was born.
1962: Brother Peter Dies
In 1962, Chris Wallace's brother Peter died at the age of 19 after a mountain climbing accident.
1964: Assistant to Walter Cronkite
In 1964, Chris Wallace was hired as an assistant to Walter Cronkite at the Republican National Convention.
1969: Reports from Cambridge City Jail
In 1969, Chris Wallace covered the student occupation of University Hall and reported from Cambridge City Jail after being detained by Cambridge policemen.
1972: Impact of television
In 1972, Chris Wallace saw the impact television had on news at the Republican National Convention.
1973: Married Elizabeth Farrell
In 1973, Chris Wallace married Elizabeth Farrell, with whom he would have four children.
1975: Joins NBC
In 1975, Chris Wallace began his network journalism career with NBC as a reporter with WNBC-TV in New York City.
1982: Joins the Today Show
In 1982, Chris Wallace became Washington co-anchor and news reader for the Today show.
May 18, 1985: Interview with Ronald and Nancy Reagan
On May 18, 1985, Chris Wallace conducted a joint interview with Ronald and Nancy Reagan at Camp David.
1987: Moderator of Meet the Press
From 1987 to 1988, Chris Wallace was moderator of Meet the Press.
1988: Interviews Donald Trump
In 1988, Chris Wallace interviewed Donald Trump about flirting with running for political office at the Republican National Convention.
1989: Chief White House correspondent
In 1989, Chris Wallace served as chief White House correspondent.
1997: Married Lorraine Smothers
In 1997, Chris Wallace married Lorraine Smothers, the former wife of Dick Smothers.
1998: Investigation and Impeachment of Bill Clinton
On January 27, 2020, Katie Pavlich cited the 1998 Investigation and Impeachment of Bill Clinton.
2003: Hosts Fox News Sunday
In 2003, Chris Wallace began hosting Fox News Sunday.
February 2009: Secures First Fox Interview with Barack Obama
In February 2009, Chris Wallace secured Fox's first interview with President Barack Obama.
March 3, 2016: Moderates Republican Presidential Debate
On March 3, 2016, Chris Wallace joined Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly in moderating the 2016 Republican Party Presidential debate on Fox News.
October 19, 2016: Moderates Presidential Debate
On October 19, 2016, Chris Wallace moderated the third and final 2016 Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
2016: Moderates Presidential Debate
In 2016, Chris Wallace became the first Fox News journalist to moderate a United States Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
2016: Praise for Presidential Debate Moderation
In 2016, Chris Wallace received praise for his tough questioning of presidential candidates during the final debate of the 2016 election.
2016: Portrayed by Tom Hanks on SNL
In 2016, Chris Wallace was portrayed by Tom Hanks on Saturday Night Live in the Third Presidential Debate Cold Open.
2016: Russian Interference in Election
In July 2018, Chris Wallace sought to hand Putin papers containing the indictment of 12 Russian agents for interference in the 2016 election.
2017: Interviews Donald Trump
In 2017, Chris Wallace interviewed President Donald Trump in his first interview since being elected.
July 2018: Interviews Vladimir Putin
In July 2018, Chris Wallace interviewed Vladimir Putin and questioned him about the deaths of his political opponents.
September 2018: Covers Kavanaugh Hearings
In September 2018, Chris Wallace covered the Supreme Court hearings for Brett Kavanaugh and commented on Christine Blasey Ford's testimony.
2018: Interview with Vladimir Putin
In 2018, Chris Wallace interviewed Vladimir Putin.
2018: Ranked Among Most Trusted News Anchors
In 2018, Chris Wallace was ranked as one of America's most trusted television news anchors.
January 27, 2020: Heated Exchange on Fox News Sunday
On January 27, 2020, Chris Wallace had a heated exchange with Katie Pavlich on Fox News Sunday regarding witnesses in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump.
June 2020: Published Countdown 1945
In June 2020, Chris Wallace published his third book, "Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World", with Mitch Weiss.
July 19, 2020: Interview with Donald Trump
On July 19, 2020, Chris Wallace interviewed President Donald Trump, gaining attention for fact-checking him in real time on claims regarding Black Lives Matter and COVID-19.
September 29, 2020: Moderated first presidential debate
On September 29, 2020, Chris Wallace moderated the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The debate was held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and was widely criticized for its lack of civility.
2020: Fox work environment became unsustainable
After the 2020 election, Chris Wallace felt the work environment at Fox grew "increasingly unsustainable" for him.
2020: Interview with Donald Trump
In 2020, Chris Wallace interviewed Donald Trump.
2020: Moderates Presidential Debate
In 2020, Chris Wallace moderated the debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
2020: Portrayed by Beck Bennett on SNL
In 2020, Chris Wallace was portrayed by Beck Bennett on Saturday Night Live.
December 12, 2021: Final day hosting Fox News Sunday
On December 12, 2021, Chris Wallace announced that it would be his final day hosting Fox News Sunday.
2021: Leaves Fox News to Join CNN
April 2022: Hired by CNN+
In April 2022, Chris Wallace was hired by CNN to host a new program for its streaming service CNN+.
April 21, 2022: CNN+ shutdown announced
On April 21, 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery announced they were shutting down CNN+.
2022: Hosts "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?"
In 2022, Chris Wallace began hosting the interview series "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?".
August 2023: New CNN Saturday morning program
In August 2023, it was announced that Chris Wallace would host a new CNN Saturday morning program called The Chris Wallace Show.
2023: Anchors "The Chris Wallace Show"
In 2023, Chris Wallace anchored "The Chris Wallace Show".
2023: Daughter-in-law publishes book
In 2023, Chris Wallace's daughter-in-law, Jennifer Breheny Wallace, published her book, "Never Enough", which became a New York Times bestseller.
October 2024: Published Countdown 1960
In October 2024, Chris Wallace published "Countdown 1960: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of the 312 Days that Changed America's Politics Forever", co-written by Weiss.
November 15, 2024: Who's Talking ended
Following Chris Wallace's departure from CNN, Who's Talking ended on November 15, 2024.
November 2024: Leaves CNN
In November 2024, Chris Wallace left CNN following the expiration of his three-year contract.
November 23, 2024: Final episode of The Chris Wallace Show
The final episode of The Chris Wallace Show aired on November 23, 2024.
2024: Left Fox due to "lies" and "conspiracies"
In an interview in 2024, Chris Wallace stated the reason he left Fox was because he had enough of their "lies" and "conspiracies".
