Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy made the shocking announcement live on-air that he will be leaving the flagship show’s ‘curvy couch’ for the cushy confines of the Sunshine State.
Doocy, 68, announced Thursday morning that he was stepping back from his role after nearly 30 years and moving to Florida to be a special correspondent, admitting that hosting ‘is a great job, but the hours suck.’
‘After decades of getting up at 3:30 and driving into New York City in the dark, today is the last day I will host the show from the couch,’ Doocy said in his emotional statement, bemoaning the morning show’s early start time.
‘I am not retiring, I’m not leaving the show, I’m still a host,’ he continued. ‘But it’s time for a change.’
Doocy will now move to three days a week of off-site work – ‘mak[ing] it easier for me to report from Florida and other parts of America that don’t get a lot of network airtime,’ he explained.
‘I’ll be going form the Carolinas to the Keys, from Middle America to Mar-a-Lago.’
Doocy revealed that he and Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox New Media, came up with the solution while ‘trying to figure out what a guy who’s been getting up at 3:30 for two generations should do next,’ he said.
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Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy got emotional as he announced he is leaving the flagship show’s ‘curvy couch’ live on air
‘And Suzanne gave me a great option – to keep working on this show, just not every day. From now on, I’m working three days a week,’ he said, adding ‘you may never see me in a necktie again.’
Doocy joined the network when it launched in 1996. At the time, he was a meteorologist on its inaugural morning show, Fox X-Press, before joining Fox & Friends when it took over the time slot in 1998.
He got a special send-off Thursday morning from President Donald Trump, who delivered a message from the Oval Office.
‘I just think you’re a fantastic guy,’ Trump said.
‘You’ve always treated me fairly – sometimes more fairly than other times, but that’s okay,’ he joked, as Doocy laughed.
‘It’s really been an honor to spend so much time with you… watching you with the whole crew in the morning.’ Doocy mentioned that while his kids were growing up, he ‘never had [the opportunity to eat] breakfast with them.’
‘I was here,’ he said.
‘But starting tomorrow, I’m going to have breakfast with my grandkids and my children whenever I can.’
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‘I am not retiring, I’m not leaving the show. I’m still a host,’ Doocy told his cohosts Thursday. ‘But it’s time for a change’
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‘I am eternally grateful,’ Doocy said, before being met with a surprise special message from the president of the United States
Doocy, the father of Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, mentioned how his son recently welcomed his second child this month, and that he plans to travel to D.C. to meet the two-week old tot.
‘I will continue to join this couch crew for commentary,’ he pledged.
‘You have trusted me for all these years – and don’t worry, you will still hear my voice and my opinions loud and clear, despite whatever seasonal pollen is killing me.’
In an interview with Mediaite, the anchor offered more insight on how he came to the decision.
He said that ‘not having to be anchored to the NYC studios’ played a big part, as did his painful early-morning commute from New Jersey.
‘Having done this for 30 years, you start thinking about how you’re going to find an off-ramp eventually,’ he said. ‘What that looks like or what it feels like – I’ve been thinking about this for a few years and how [to] do it.’
Doocy explained that the new arrangement will give him more freedom to ‘do all the stuff I want to do.’
‘I’ve gotten up at 3:30 a.m., 6,828 days since I started this show,’ he told the outlet. ‘Then I travel to the city – 14 dollars in fare to go over the George Washington Bridge, deal with midtown, then go home at 9am.’
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In an interview , the anchor offered insight on how he came to the decision. ‘I get it’s the price of admission, and I have zero regrets, but I’ve done this now for almost 30 years,’ he said, leaving his full-time schedule to high ratings. He has been on since its start in 1998
‘I get it’s the price of admission, and I have zero regrets, but I’ve done this now for almost 30 years,’ he continued.
‘I’ve cracked the code on how to do this, I love the show, and ratings are great – I just want to make a transition to the next stage of my personal life.’
The show has pulled in an impressive 1.5 million viewers on average so far this year.
Fox & Friends is the number one morning news show on cable TV, a distinction it’s enjoyed for more than 24 years.
Having helmed the show since its inception, Doocy is one of the longest-running morning show hosts in history, bested only by Today’s Al Roker. He first appeared on Fox & Friends in February 1998.
In the years since, he has served as a voice of reason on the show’s iconic sofa.
‘And I’m not done yet,’ the veteran anchor promised.
‘I’ll be back in 10 days.’
