Chris Wallace praises Joe Biden's inauguration speech, gets torched by viewers online — and another Fox News host



Fox News host Chris Wallace earned the ire of many on social media, and another Fox host, after he praised the inauguration speech by President Joe Biden on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol.

Wallace made his comments during the cable network's coverage of Inauguration Day after Biden's speech.

"I think it was a great speech. I've been listening to these inaugural addresses since 1961, John F. Kennedy's 'Ask not'," Wallace said.

"I thought this was the best inaugural address I've ever heard," he added.

Wallace contrasted Biden's tone with that of the "insurrectionists" and "thugs" who had assaulted the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

"It was less of an inaugural address and more part sermon, part pep talk," Wallace continued.

"It was a call to our better angels, a call, saying, look, we've got tremendous challenges — COVID, the economy, racial injustice, climate change — but there's nothing we can't do if we come together," he added.

Wallace's comments in favor of unity were met by scorn from many online.

"Chris Wallace on Fox news just stated this was the best inaugural speech he ever heard!!!' Really???" said Leo Terrell, a Trump supporter and talk radio host.

Chris Wallace on Fox news just stated this was the best inaugural speech he ever heard!!!’ Really???
— TheLeoTerrell (@TheLeoTerrell)1611164089.0

"Is Fox News trying to have zero viewers left?" remarked one commenter.

"Chris Wallace is a fake news HACK!" said author and activist Brigitte Gabriel.

Chris Wallace is a fake news HACK!
— Brigitte Gabriel (@Brigitte Gabriel)1611167810.0

Among those mocking Wallace was his fellow Fox News host, Greg Gutfeld.

"An amazing inauguration, I agree with Chris Wallace," Gutfeld shouted. "The greatest inauguration I have ever seen in my entire life! And you know what, I'll even go further than Chris Wallace, it's the greatest inauguration I will ever see! Ever see! I think we should stop the inaugurations! Stop the inaugurations! This is it!"

Ironically, Wallace said he liked the speech because it called for more civility.

"I think it was a call to all of us," said Wallace, "whether it's us on the air, on cable or broadcast, whether it's us in social media, on our Twitter accounts, understanding that we have to deal from facts, from the truth, to hear each other out, as he said."

Here's the video of Wallace's comments:

Fox News' Chris Wallace: "Martha, I thought it was a great speech. I have been listening to these inaugural address… https://t.co/Z0HKm5N0f2
— Lis Power (@Lis Power)1611164602.0

Shep Smith scolds former colleagues at Fox News: 'I don’t know how some people sleep at night'



CNBC anchor Shepard Smith scolded his former colleagues at Fox News for propagating lies to their audience and said that he tried to provide an alternative as a service to the viewers during his time there.

Smith made the comments in an interview Tuesday with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

"If you feel like the Fox viewers were getting mis- or disinformation, I was there to make sure that they got it straight," Smith said.

"And to deprive those viewers of — it wasn't just me, there's an entire team of people getting the news to the air — to deny them that with the thought that they might replace it with opinion instead, seemed a little selfish," he explained.

Smith worked at Fox News for over two decades before leaving the network in 2019. He often broke ranks with the rest of the network and earned the ire of many viewers, especially when he spoke out against the Trump administration.

Despite airing his grievances against the network, Smith said that he was still proud of his work at Fox News.

Amanpour asked Smith to comment on how he felt about opinion hosts at Fox News appearing to become the "propaganda arm" of the Republican Party.

"I slept very well. I don't know how some people sleep at night, because I know there are a lot of people who have propagated the lies and have pushed them forward over and over again, who are smart enough and educated enough to know better," Smith responded.

"And I hope that at some point, those who have done us harm as a nation — and I might even add as a world — will look around and realize what they've done," he added.

"But I'm not holding my breath," Smith concluded.

Fox News announced a retooling of their lineup after post-election ratings plummeted behind heir competitors, CNN and MSNBC.

Here's the video of Smith's comments with Amanpour:

CNBC host reveals why he left Fox Newswww.youtube.com

Fox News ratings plummet to third behind MSNBC and CNN after Capitol rioting



Cable news network giant Fox News saw its ratings plummet to third place behind competitors CNN and MSNBC after the coverage of the rioting at the U.S. Capitol last week.

The stunning turn for Fox News comes after years of domination in total viewers and across most demographics.

In the latest ratings data reported by Nielsen on Tuesday, Fox News garnered 1.7 million daily viewers for the period between Jan. 4 and Jan. 10.

That fell short of CNN, which garnered 2.8 million daily viewers, and MSNBC, which garnered 2.3 million daily viewers.

Fox News finished 2020 as the top cable news network in the ratings, their fifth year in a row of winning that distinction.

The network also fell short in primetime viewers, with 3.2 million average viewers, compared to 4.2 million for CNN. MSNBC also saw 3.8 million viewers in primetime.

Many critics of Fox News faulted the network when it called Arizona for then-candidate Joe Biden before other networks who said early results were too close to call. Eventually, the state was indeed called for Biden after legal challenges from the Trump campaign.

President Donald Trump also attacked the coverage from Fox News numerous times and pushed his followers to seek out alternative news sources that were more supportive of his administration. In one instance, he decried Fox News for not doing enough to help elect him and other Republicans.

"Many will disagree, but @FoxNews is doing nothing to help Republicans, and me, get re-elected on November 3rd," the president said from his official Twitter account.

That account has since been permanently suspended by Twitter after rioting at the U.S. Capitol by the president's supporters left five dead and many injured.

Here's more about the Capitol rioting:

FBI, DC officials discuss criminal charges after Capitol riotwww.youtube.com

Fox News daytime ratings drop by 32% in two weeks since the election



Cable news network behemoth Fox News dipped in viewership among a key demographic in recent ratings reports, and lost 32% of viewership in daytime.

Nielsen Media Research said that CNN took both top spots among the 25-54 age demographic during primetime on Friday. Anderson Cooper's show, "AC360," took the time spot with 604K viewers. Chris Cuomo's CNN show took the second highest slot.

Fox News' total viewership also fell an astounding 32% in the two weeks after the Nov. 3 election compared to its viewership the two weeks before the election.

While Fox News' viewership dropped, the viewership for CNN and MSNBC increased to near parity. In weekday average daytime viewership, Fox News garnered 1.63 million viewers, CNN received 1.68 million viewers, and MSNBC received 1.71 million viewers.

But despite the precipitous drop in daytime, Fox continues to beat the competition in total numbers of viewers during prime-time hours.

Fox News averaged 2.98 million viewers in prime time, with CNN averaging 2.05 million, and MSNBC seeing an average of 2.18 million viewers.

Critics of Fox News have excoriated the network after they called the state of Arizona for former Vice President Joe Biden on election night while most other outlets were saying the results were too close to call. The state has since been called for Biden by the mainstream news outlets.

President Trump has also turned on the cable news network and has been criticizing Fox News in favor of some of its lesser known competitors. In one instance, he appeared to refer to himself as the "Golden Goose" and blamed them for the 2020 election.

"Very sad to watch this happen, but they forgot what made them successful, what got them there. They forgot the Golden Goose," the president tweeted.

.@FoxNews daytime ratings have completely collapsed. Weekend daytime even WORSE. Very sad to watch this happen, but… https://t.co/WyQJORrjOA
— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1605197418.0

"The biggest difference between the 2016 Election, and 2020, was @FoxNews!" he added.

In another missive sent out in March, the president accused Fox News of not doing enough to get him and other Republicans re-elected.

Some viewers have posted on social media that they are actively seeking alternative sources of news, including the YouTube channel of BlazeTV host Steven Crowder.

Here's more about Trump criticizing Fox News:

Trump tweets a rare criticism of Fox Newswww.youtube.com

​Fox News takes a beating in post-election ratings



Cable network news behemoth Fox News took a rare beating in prime-time ratings in the week after election night, according to the latest Nielsen ratings.

Fox News garnered 5.736 million viewers for its prime-time coverage between election day and Sunday, according to ratings released by Nielsen, while CNN came slightly above Fox News with 5.941 million average viewers.

Both fell short of NBC, who averaged 6.33 million viewers partly because of the Sunday Night Football game between the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Election night saw Fox News crushing the competition with 14.158 million average viewers in prime time. CNN saw 9.47 million viewers, with MSNBC coming in at third place with 7.661 million viewers.

Fox News has had to weather numerous incidents that have caused many of their previous fans to seek alternative news outlets, including the YouTube channel of BlazeTV host Steven Crowder.

Fox News was excoriated by allies and supporters of the president after they called the state of Arizona early on election day before any other news outlets. When pressured by online outrage to change their call, Chris Wallace said that the Fox News decision desk would not waiver in its decision to call the state. Biden currently holds a lead of just over 11,000 votes in the state.

On Monday, an off-air video of a Fox News host condescendingly dismissing comments about the election call from a guest surfaced on social media and fueled more outrage.

President Donald Trump has also criticized Fox News many times over his term, often when they don't give him what he perceives to be the best coverage.

In May, the president outright complained that Fox News was "doing nothing" to help him and other Republicans get re-elected.

Many will disagree, but @FoxNews is doing nothing to help Republicans, and me, get re-elected on November 3rd. Sure… https://t.co/Q0FEs4tqWP
— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1590085802.0

Prior to election night, Fox News had been crushing records with their ratings, prompting TheWrap to credit the network with delivering "the highest primetime averages in cable news history."

Here's the latest about the election:

Georgia officials announce hand recount of presidential ballotswww.youtube.com