Chris Wallace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Wallace
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Wallace in 2023
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Christopher Wallace
October 12, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
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| Years active | 1964–present |
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Notable credit(s)
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| Political party | Democratic |
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| Children | 6 |
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Christopher "Chris" Wallace (born October 12, 1947) is a well-known American journalist. He is famous for his direct and wide-ranging interviews. Many people compare his interview style to his father, Mike Wallace, who was a journalist for 60 Minutes.
Chris Wallace has had a long career in journalism, lasting over 60 years. He has worked as a reporter, host, or anchor for major news networks. These include CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox News, and CNN. In 2018, he was recognized as one of America's most trusted TV news anchors. He has also won several important awards for his work. These include three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and a George Polk Award.
As a teenager, Wallace got an early start in journalism. He worked as an assistant to famous journalist Walter Cronkite in 1964. After college, he worked for a newspaper before moving to TV news. He became a White House correspondent and hosted popular shows. He is the only person to have hosted more than one major U.S. political Sunday morning talk show.
From 2003 to 2021, he hosted Fox News Sunday. During this time, he interviewed important leaders like Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin. He made history in 2016 by becoming the first Fox News journalist to host a U.S. Presidential debate. He moderated debates between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016. He also moderated a debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in 2020. In 2021, he left Fox News to join CNN. There, he hosted interview shows like Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? and The Chris Wallace Show. He left CNN in November 2024.
Contents
- Chris Wallace's Early Life and Education
- Chris Wallace's Journalism Career
- Media Appearances
- Awards and Honors
- Personal Life
- Images for kids
- See also
Chris Wallace's Early Life and Education
Chris Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were Mike Wallace, a reporter for 60 Minutes, and Norma Kaphan. Chris Wallace is Jewish, like both of his parents. He was named Christopher because he was born on Columbus Day. He had an older brother, Peter, who sadly died at age 19 in a mountain climbing accident.
His parents divorced when he was one year old. Chris grew up with his mother and his stepfather, Bill Leonard. Bill Leonard was the President of CBS News. He helped Chris get an early look at political journalism. He hired Chris as an assistant to Walter Cronkite at the 1964 Republican National Convention. Chris Wallace did not get to know his father, Mike, until he was 14 years old.
Wallace went to the Hotchkiss School and then to Harvard College. He first reported news on the student radio station at Harvard, called WHRB. He famously covered a student protest in 1969. He was even held by police and used his one phone call to report from jail!
Chris Wallace's Journalism Career
Starting Out: The Boston Globe
Even though he was accepted into Yale Law School, Chris Wallace chose to work for The Boston Globe newspaper. His boss there described him as a "go-getter" reporter. He first covered local government in Boston. Later, he became a reporter who traveled around the country.
Wallace realized how powerful television news was during the 1972 political conventions. He saw that all the reporters were watching the events on TV, not in person. For a short time in the early 1970s, he worked for a TV station in Chicago called WBBM-TV.
Joining Network News: NBC (1975–1988)
After seeing the impact of TV news, Wallace decided to work in broadcasting. He joined NBC in 1975 and stayed there for 14 years. He started as a reporter for WNBC-TV in New York City. Then, he moved to NBC's office in Washington, D.C. He became a political reporter for NBC News.
In 1982, he became a co-anchor for the Today show. He also became the chief White House correspondent, reporting on the President. He later hosted the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News and moderated Meet the Press.
In 1985, Wallace interviewed President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan. Some journalists have described Wallace's interview style as direct. In 1987, during a press conference, President Reagan admitted to a scandal involving arms sales. Wallace directly asked Reagan why he had denied Israel's involvement when he knew it was true. In 1988, Wallace interviewed Donald Trump, who was a real estate businessman at the time. He asked Trump about possibly running for political office.
Moving to ABC News (1989–2003)
Wallace left NBC in 1988 to join ABC. At ABC News, Wallace was a senior reporter for Primetime Live. He also sometimes hosted Nightline.
During the Persian Gulf War in 1991, he reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. He covered the Iraqi Scud missile attacks. At one point, he started to describe the exact location where a missile landed. The host, Ted Koppel, stopped him. He asked Wallace to point to a general area instead of giving a specific location. This was to avoid helping the Iraqis target their missiles better.
Fox News and Presidential Debates (2003–2021)
Hosting Fox News Sunday
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After 14 years at ABC, Wallace joined Fox News in 2003. He began hosting Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. He and fellow journalist Shepard Smith became known for their strong reporting at Fox News.
When asked about his own political views, Wallace said, "Do I have political opinions? Absolutely. But I vote for the person, and I've voted for Republicans and Democrats and independents over the course of my life. I feel very strongly that you try not to let that affect the way you report the news." The head of Fox News, Roger Ailes, called Wallace "one of the best interviewers in the business."
During his 18 years at Fox, Wallace covered almost every major political event. He also got many important interviews with leaders. In 2009, he conducted Fox's first interview with President Barack Obama. In 2017, he interviewed President Donald Trump after he was elected.
Moderating Presidential Debates
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The Commission on Presidential Debates chose Chris Wallace to host the third and final 2016 Presidential debate. This debate was between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. It took place on October 19, 2016. This was the first time a Fox News anchor had hosted a general election presidential debate.
Wallace said his job was not to check facts during the debate. He believed that was the job of the opposing candidate. He said, "I take it very seriously, this is not a TV show. This is part of civics, the constitution, if you will, in action, because this is helping millions of people decide who we're going to elect as the next president."
He received praise for his tough questions to both candidates. The New York Times wrote that Wallace "mixed humor with scolding and persistence with patience to guide his charges toward the most substantive encounter."
Interviewing Vladimir Putin (2018)
In July 2018, Wallace interviewed Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Wallace asked Putin why many of his political opponents end up dead. He also tried to give Putin papers about Russian agents interfering in the 2016 election. Putin refused to touch the papers. This interview was widely praised and earned Wallace an Emmy Award. It was the first News and Documentary Award for Fox News.
Interviewing Donald Trump (2020)
On July 19, 2020, Wallace interviewed President Donald Trump outside The White House. This interview got a lot of attention. Wallace was praised for holding Trump accountable and checking his facts in real time.
During the interview, Wallace questioned Trump about his claims regarding Joe Biden and the police. He also challenged Trump's statements about the COVID-19 pandemic mortality rate. Many compared Wallace's interview style to his father, Mike Wallace.
First Presidential Debate (2020)
Wallace was chosen to host the first presidential debate in 2020. It was held on September 29, 2020. Many news experts called the debate a "disaster" because it lacked order and politeness. Wallace tried many times to control the debate. He even stopped it to ask the candidates, especially Trump, to speak with fewer interruptions.
After the debate, Wallace shared his frustration. He said Trump "bears the primary responsibility for what happened." He also said it was frustrating for him and for the American people. Some viewers accused Wallace of being unfair to Trump. However, Fox News executives praised Wallace's "professionalism, skill and fortitude."
2020 U.S. Presidential Election Coverage
On November 3, 2020, Wallace was part of Fox News' election night coverage. He defended the network's decision to announce that Joe Biden had won Arizona. This was despite pressure from Trump. Later that night, Trump said he had won the election early. Wallace reacted by saying on air, "This is an extremely flammable situation and the president just threw a match into it. He hasn't won these states... the president doesn't get to say he won states... there's no question that all these states can continue to count votes." Wallace also said Trump's desire to stop vote counting was "extremely irresponsible."
Transition to CNN and Departure (2022–2024)
Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?
On December 12, 2021, Wallace announced that it would be his last day hosting Fox News Sunday. It was later announced that he would join CNN to host a new show. This show was called Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? and launched in April 2022. Wallace said the show was inspired by famous interviewers like Larry King and his father, Mike Wallace.
Wallace had expressed concerns to Fox management about some of its hosts. He felt their focus on false claims about the January 6 United States Capitol attack and the 2020 election outcome made the work environment difficult. He said the situation at Fox became "increasingly unsustainable" for him after the 2020 election. In 2024, he stated he left Fox because he had enough of their "lies" and "conspiracies."
CNN's streaming service, CNN+, was shut down shortly after his show launched. However, Who's Talking continued on CNN and HBO Max. Wallace interviewed many famous people on the show. These included former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, actor George Clooney, and musician Meghan Trainor. The show ended on November 15, 2024, after Wallace left CNN.
The Chris Wallace Show
In August 2023, Wallace also began hosting a new CNN Saturday morning program. It was called The Chris Wallace Show. This program featured Wallace and a group of reporters and commentators. They discussed the important political stories of the week. The final episode aired on November 23, 2024.
Leaving CNN
Chris Wallace decided not to extend his contract with CNN. He left the network at the end of 2024. He plans to explore independent projects like streaming or podcasts. Reports suggested that CNN's CEO had told Wallace his shows would be canceled due to low ratings. However, Wallace denied discussing a future role at CNN. He said he and his wife decided to leave the network months before his announcement.
Media Appearances
In 2012, Wallace appeared on Jeopardy! during "Power Players Week." He competed against other journalists and TV personalities. Wallace won his game.
In 2019, Wallace appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He was there to promote a documentary about his father, Mike Wallace is Here.
In December 2019, Wallace spoke at the Washington Media Museum. He said that Donald Trump was making "the most direct sustained assault on freedom of the press in our history." He also shared some highlights from his 50-year career. These included spending time with Mother Teresa and interviewing Vladimir Putin.
Awards and Honors
Chris Wallace has received many awards for his excellent work in journalism.
- 1992: The George Polk Award in Journalism for his foreign reporting on ABC News.
- 1993: The Alfred I. duPont–Columbia Silver Baton Award for excellence in TV journalism.
- 2011: The National Press Foundation Award for Broadcast excellence.
- 2013: The Paul White lifetime achievement award.
- 2014: The Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
- 2017: The Founders Award for Excellence in Journalism.
- 2018: The "Tex" McCrary Journalism Award.
- 2018: "The Freedom of Speech Award."
- 2020: Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism.
- He has also won a Peabody Award and three News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
Personal Life
Chris Wallace has said that even though Mike Wallace was his biological father, his stepfather, Bill Leonard, had a much bigger impact on his life. Wallace called Leonard "the single most important person in my life." Chris only started to build a relationship with his father, Mike, when he was a teenager. This happened after his older brother, Peter, died in 1962.
Wallace has been married twice. In 1973, he married Elizabeth Farrell. They have four children together: Peter, Megan, Catherine, and Andrew. In 1997, he married Lorraine Smothers. Lorraine has two children from a previous marriage. Chris Wallace's daughter-in-law, Jennifer Breheny Wallace, is a journalist and author.
In 2006, The Washington Post reported that Wallace was registered as a Democrat in Washington, D.C. He said he did this for practical reasons because the Democratic Party was very strong in the city's politics. He stated that he has voted for candidates from both major parties throughout his life.
Wallace and his wife mainly live in Annapolis, Maryland.
Images for kids
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Wallace as a reporter for WBBM-TV, 1975
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Wallace with Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan in 1985
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Wallace interviews Maryland governor Larry Hogan in 2015.
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Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, and Chris Wallace moderating the 2016 Republican Party Presidential debate
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Wallace interviewing Vladimir Putin in 2018
See also
In Spanish: Chris Wallace para niños
