More changes are coming to Fox News Channel. Elisabeth Hasselbeck is leaving “The View” and joining FNC to co-host “Fox & Friends” beginning in September. Gretchen Carlson will move to a later, one-hour show, made possible by last week’s news that Megyn Kelly would be moving to primetime.
“I have been a long-time fan of ‘Fox & Friends’ and am excited to be joining their team as it is an honor to call the Fox News Channel my new television home,” said Hasselbeck in a statement.
“Elisabeth’s warm and engaging personality made her a star on ‘The View,’” added Fox News Chairman & CEO Roger Ailes “She has proven to be an excellent conversationalist and I am certain she will make a great addition to our already successful morning franchise.”
“Fox & Friends,” also hosted by Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, has been the No. 1 cable news morning show for nearly 12 years, since Nov. 2001.
TVNewser was first to report in March that Hasselbeck’s future at “The View” was up in the air.
“When Elisabeth survived ‘Survivor,’ we wanted to make sure she would stay afloat,” said Barbara Walters, referring to Hasselbeck’s first foray into TV, in the second season of the CBS reality show. “We have had 10 wonderful years with her and she will now be swimming in new waters. We will miss her and wish her everything good.”
It’s not known which daytime hour Carlson will take over. Kelly’s departure leaves the 1-3pmET hours vacant. Carlson had hosted “Fox & Friends” since 2006. She replaced E.D. Hill who, upon leaving the morning show, moved to an afternoon hosting slot. Hill left Fox in 2008.
Fox News release after the jump…
ELISABETH HASSELBECK TO JOIN FOX NEWS CHANNEL AS FOX & FRIENDS CO-HOST
Gretchen Carlson Moves to Daytime to Anchor Solo One-Hour Program
FOX News Channel (FNC) has signed Elisabeth Hasselbeck of ABC’s The View as co-host of top-rated FOX & Friends (6:00-9:00 AM ET), announced Bill Shine, Executive Vice President of Programming for FOX News. She will join Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade on the curvy couch in mid-September. Current FOX & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson will now anchor a one-hour signature daytime program beginning in early fall.
In commenting on the announcement, FOX News Chairman & CEO Roger Ailes said, “Elisabeth’s warm and engaging personality made her a star on The View. She has proven to be an excellent conversationalist and I am certain she will make a great addition to our already successful morning franchise.”
Hasselbeck added, “I have been a long-time fan of Fox & Friends and am excited to be joining their team in September as it is an honor to call the FOX News Channel my new television home.”
Since November 2003, Hasselbeck served as a co-host on the daytime Emmy award-winning talk show, The View, on ABC, created by Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie. She and her co-hosts were chosen as Time’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” in May 2009 and in July 2009, the program was ranked #11 on Forbes’ “30 of the Most Influential Women in Media.” Additionally, she was a keynote speaker at the Republican National Convention in both 2004 and 2008, and has interviewed Presidents Bush, Clinton and Obama. Hasselbeck is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, The G-Free Diet and the cookbook, Deliciously G-Free and has also served as a contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America since 2010.
ABC’s Barbara Walters commented, “We have had ten wonderful years with Elisabeth and she will now be swimming in new waters. We will miss her and wish her everything good.”
Regarding Carlson’s move to daytime, Ailes said, “Gretchen’s contribution to FOX & Friends is well-known and her strong interviewing skills make her a natural fit for our daytime programming.”
Carlson added, “I am excited to further advance my career and am thrilled to have the opportunity to host my own show in daytime and look forward to showcasing my skills as an interviewer and journalist in a more in depth manner.”
In June 2005, Carlson joined FNC and a year later, she became co-host of Fox & Friends. Prior to FNC, she served as a correspondent and co-anchor of CBS News’ Saturday Early Show. Before her tenure there, Carlson served as an anchor/reporter for KXAS-TV (NBC) in Dallas, TX, WOIO-TV (CBS) in Cleveland, OH, WCPO-TV (ABC) in Cincinnati, OH, and WRIC-TV (ABC) in Richmond, VA. The recipient of the prestigious American Women in Radio and Television “Best Series” award for her 30-part series on domestic violence, Carlson also won two Emmy awards for her work at CBS News. Before embarking on a television career, she was the first classical violinist to be crowned Miss America in 1989.