Former Fox News anchor Shepard Smith joins CNBC as chief general news anchor with new evening show
- Shepard Smith announced in October that he was leaving Fox News after more than two decades at the network.
- Smith will host a weekday one-hour program on CNBC, starting at 7 p.m. ET
CNBC announced on Wednesday that former Fox News anchor Shepard Smith is joining the network to host a one-hour evening news program on weekdays at 7 p.m. ET.
The newscast, which will be called "The News with Shepard Smith," is set to launch in the fall. Smith's title will be chief general news anchor and chief breaking general news anchor.
Smith joins CNBC after spending 23 years at Fox News Channel, where he anchored "Shepard Smith Reporting," "The Fox Report" and "Studio B." He also served as chief news anchor of the network and managing editor of the breaking news division.
"I am honored to continue to pursue the truth, both for CNBC's loyal viewers and for those who have been following my reporting for decades in good times and in bad," Smith said in a press release.
Smith left Fox News abruptly in October after establishing himself as a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly attacked Smith. Before announcing his departure, Smith was reportedly warned by Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and Jay Wallace, president and executive editor, to stop criticizing evening anchor Tucker Carlson. Fox denied those reports.
CNBC Chairman Mark Hoffman said Smith has a track record of fact-driven storytelling.
"We aim to deliver a nightly program that, in some small way, looks for the signal in all the noise," Hoffman said in the press release. "We're thrilled that Shep, who's built a career on an honest fight to find and report the facts, will continue his pursuit of the truth at CNBC."
Dan Colarusso, CNBC's senior vice president of business news, said Smith's program aims to go beyond financial markets, "to tell rich, deeply reported stories across the entire landscape of global news." CNBC had been running a 7 p.m. show focused on Covid-19 and the economic crisis. It ended the program last Thursday.
Smith will appear on CNBC in the 10 a.m. ET on Thursday to discuss his upcoming show.