Following the sudden departure of Shepard Smith, Fox News revealed who will replace him during the 3 p.m. time slot.
Jay Wallace, the president and executive editor of Fox News, confirmed the news to Variety.
“This is going to remain a solid news hour, with our best news stars,” Wallace told the publication. “Journalism is a huge part of the mandate here.”
Trace Gallagher, who is based in Los Angeles, is the first to appear in Smith’s spot, the report said.
“It was a tough day for a lot of people here,” Wallace, who spent time as Smith’s producer, told the outlet.
“The thing about this place, there is a camaraderie, a ‘us against the world’ mentality,” he added. “These are more like familial bonds as opposed to just passing, transactional relationships. That’s why it hit so hard with a lot of people.”
Wallace suggested that an external candidate might take Smith’s timeslot in the future.
Smith stunned the broadcasting world and his colleagues on Friday when he announced he would part ways with Fox. He had spent the past 23 years there.
“Together with my colleagues we’ve written a first draft of history and endeavored to deliver it to you, while speaking truth to power, without fear or favor with context and perspective,” Smith told viewers on the show.
“This is my last newscast here. Thank you for watching today and over the decades,” the 55-year-old anchor remarked. “It’s been an honor and my pleasure. Even in our currently polarized nation, it’s my hope that the facts will win the day, that the truth will always matter, and that journalism and journalists will thrive.”
“I’ve always said there is nobody better at breaking news than Shep Smith. He has always done great things and I know he will continue to do so. Looking forward to seeing Shep crush it in whatever he does next,” Hannity wrote.
