Conservative commentator Laura Ingraham will join Fox News Channel’s prime-time lineup as a host on Oct. 30, the network announced Monday.
Ingraham, a longtime contributor to Fox News, will be the weeknight host of “The Ingraham Angle,” at 10 p.m. ET. Sean Hannity on Sept. 25 will move to 9 p.m. ET, replacing “The Five,” which will return to its 5 p.m. slot.
Conservative firebrand Hannity will now go head-to-head with ideological opposite Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.
The 5 p.m. hour had been filled by “Fox News Specialists,” but the program was canceled Sept. 8 after host Eric Bolling was fired amid sexual harassment allegations, which he has denied.
In January, the network also moved Tucker Carlson into the 9 p.m. ET time period to replace the departing Megyn Kelly, who starts a new show next week on NBC. Carlson’s program moved to 8 p.m. ET in April to replace O’Reilly when he departed.
Ingraham has been a fixture at Fox News since 2007, once serving as one of the few substitutes for O’Reilly on “The O’Reilly Factor.” She was earning close to $2 million a year as a contributor. Her salary as a full-time host is likely to be a multiple of that.
Ingraham’s solid following among conservative viewers is expected to maintain Fox News’ ratings levels, which have remained strong despite the disruption to the lineup. The network is still the most-watched cable news channel in overall viewers and the advertiser-favored age group of 25- to 54-year-olds.
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Laura, will do a great job.