Things Get Awkward When Bill Maher Pushes Chris Wallace To Say He Left Because Fox News Was A ‘Loony Bin’
Comic and pundit Bill Maher put CNN anchor Chris Wallace on the spot when he called Fox News a “loony bin” and pushed Wallace to agree that was the reason he left the network.
Wallace was a guest on Friday night’s edition of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher to promote his new CNN/HBO Max series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace. He was first to bring up the subject of Fox News, whom he credited for
But things got a little uncomfortable when Wallace’s new co-worker tried to cajole him into agreeing that Wallace left his former employer, Fox News, because it had become too much of a “Loony bin.”
Mr. Wallace repeatedly deflected the premise with a healthy wink and a nod:
CHRIS WALLACE: Say and I agree that I think that’s absolutely true of you. I like to think it’s true of me as well. When I was a kid.
BILL MAHER: You left Fox News.
CHRIS WALLACE: But if on Fox News Sunday I told straight and they and they never second guessed me on a on a guest or a question, they let me do what I did and and I’m doing the same now.
BILL MAHER: I always thought you were the canary in the coal mine at Fox.
CHRIS WALLACE: I want to see how this metaphor ends up. Well.
BILL MAHER: Ah. Well, the canary gets out, the mine collapses. That’s. That’s my (laughs) No, I mean, you got out. I mean, it became a come on. Isn’t that why you left? Because it just became too hard to be in that loony bin?
CHRIS WALLACE: You know, I am so excited about Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, about CNN, about looking ahead to the future.
BILL MAHER: You just said you’re a big straight shooter, but you won’t answer that question, about Fox?
CHRIS WALLACE: You know, I have found message discipline. I know you’re going to be talking to Chris Christie in a moment. Message discipline–
BILL MAHER: That’s for politicians, not for us. We’re the other side, we’e the other team.
CHRIS WALLACE: Yeah.
BILL MAHER: All right, I’ll ask — We’ll talk it over in the commissary, too.
CHRIS WALLACE: Actually, I was thinking Mitch McConnell, just repeat the line over and over again.
BILL MAHER: So last question.
CHRIS WALLACE: We’re done?
BILL MAHER: Yeah, almost.
CHRIS WALLACE: I’m having a good time.
BILL MAHER: I’m having a good time too. It goes fast when you avoid questions.
CHRIS WALLACE: Well played.
Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace drops full episodes each Friday, and CNN airs a version recapping highlights of the episodes Sundays at 7 pm.
Watch above via HBO.
