Chris Wallace Announces Departure from CNN After 3 Years: 'Excited and Liberated'

The veteran journalist plans on exploring new opportunities outside broadcast media

Chris Wallace is leaving CNN.

The seasoned broadcast journalist, 77, told The Daily Beast on Nov. 11 that he is leaving CNN at the conclusion of his three-year contract, which he signed in December 2021. His final appearance on the network will air later this year.

“This is the first time in 55 years I‘ve been between jobs,” he told the outlet. “I am actually excited and liberated by that.”

While Wallace plans on potentially joining an independent platform in the streaming or podcast space, he admitted he’s still unsure where he may land.

Related: Chris Wallace Questions Trump Family's Debate Behavior After Possibly Being Exposed Himself

“Not knowing is part of the challenge,” he explained. “I‘m waiting to see what comes over the transom. It might be something that I haven’t thought of at all.”

CNN did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Wallace, who currently anchors The Chris Wallace Show on CNN and hosts Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? on Max, joined CNN in 2021 following 18 years at Fox News, where he anchored Fox News Sunday.

"I'm ready for a new adventure, and I hope you'll check it out," he said while signing off on Fox News Sunday in December 2021, adding, "So, for the last time, dear friends, that's it for today. Have a great week. And I hope you'll keep watching Fox News Sunday."

Related: Fox's Chris Wallace Interrupts Sarah Sanders to Fact-Check Her on the Air: 'Wait, Wait, Wait'

In June 2020, Wallace released the bestselling history book Countdown 1945 (subtitled "The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World"), a widely-acclaimed exploration of former President Harry Truman’s order to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

"I actually think the whole story has a lot of echoes of what we're going through now," Wallace told PEOPLE in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding, "I think the decision to use the bomb speaks to the kind of uncertainty that we know now."

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At CNN, Wallace was a prominent face on CNN’s short-lived streaming network CNN+, which was shuttered by former CNN CEO Chris Licht in April 2022, just one month after its launch. He was a regular fixture during the 2024 presidential election, up through election night on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Wallace emphasized during his interview with the Daily Beast that his potential move away from broadcast journalism towards streaming or podcasting wasn’t a criticism of his current employer.

“I have nothing but positive things to say,” he said. “CNN has been very good to me.”