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Chris Wallace To Anchor New Show, ‘Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace?’ On HBO Max, CNN

(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Nicole Silverio Media Reporter
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CNN anchor Chris Wallace’s show, “Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace?” will debut on HBO Max in late September.

The first three episodes of his show will debut Sept. 23 on HBO Max, and the “best moments” from the show will start airing Sept. 25 on CNN in a one-hour time slot, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Three full-length interviews will air Fridays on HBO Max, and then Wallace will host the best parts on CNN Sundays at 7 p.m. for the entirety of the first season.

Interviewees currently lined up include author James Patterson, actor-director Tyler Perry and baseball star Alex Rodriguez, the outlet reported.

The show initially debuted on CNN+, the streaming platform that ceased its operations April 30, one month after launching. CNN previously confirmed Wallace would host his show weekly on Sundays at 7 p.m. following the downfall of the highly anticipated streaming platform. CNN President Chris Licht announced the timing of the program during an Aug. 11 internal town hall.

CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 29: Debate moderator and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace directs the first presidential debate between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at the Health Education Campus of Case Western Reserve University on September 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the first of three planned debates between the two candidates in the lead up to the election on November 3. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

(Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

The program will likely garner more viewers by streaming on HBO Max, which had about 77 million subscribers in May, The Hollywood Reporter noted. CNN’s Sunday airing will reportedly add an additional 80 million viewers.

By comparison, CNN+ had under 10,000 active daily users in its first month, though executives hoped those numbers would reach 2 million in the first year and 15-18 million in four years. (RELATED: Chris Wallace Breaks Silence On Implosion Of CNN+) 

“I am excited to be back in the studio having candid, real conversations with a rich variety of guests who are standouts in their fields,” Wallace said, according to TVNewser. “I can’t wait for the HBO Max and CNN audiences to get to see what our team has been working on.”

CNN President Chris Licht celebrated his show’s soon-to-be debut on HBO Max and CNN in a statement cited by TVNewser.

“Chris Wallace is a legend in our profession. His unparalleled interviewing expertise has made an impact across industries and changed history,” Chris Licht said, according to the outlet. “And now, with the launch of his program on both HBO Max and CNN, his iconic interview style will reach an expansive audience unlike anything before.”

Wallace, the former anchor of “Fox News Sunday,” left the network in December after signing a deal with CNN executives to host a program on CNN+. The anchor later disclosed that working at Fox News became “unsustainable” as people questioned the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election.

Nicole Silverio

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