Fox names Chris Wallace successor: legal correspondent, ‘Women of the Bible’ author

(Reuters) -Fox News Channel on Thursday announced its chief legal correspondent Shannon Bream would anchor “Fox News Sunday,” replacing departed anchor Chris Wallace and becoming the first woman to lead the program in its 26-year history.

The job is one of the highest profile roles at Fox News and Wallace, who announced his departure in December to join rival CNN’s now-shuttered streaming service, had been particularly prominent, among other things moderating a presidential debate between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.

Bream, who begins on Sept. 11, is a founding author of Fox News Books, the publishing imprint of Fox News Media, and author of “The Women of the Bible Speak: The Wisdom of 16 Women and Their Lessons for Today.”

Since 2017, Bream served as anchor of “Fox News @ Night,” Fox’s nightly newscast which airs in prime time in the Mountain and Western time zones.

She joined the network as its chief legal correspondent in 2007 and has covered landmark decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. She also will retain this role.

(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien and Grant McCool)