Elisabeth Hasselbeck to Leave Fox News

Co-host of network morning show stepping away to dedicate more time to family

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck will leave her role as co-host of “Fox & Friends” by the end of the year, the network announced on Monday.

The former “The View” co-host is leaving to dedicate more time to family. She joined FNC in 2013, serving as the co-host of the network’s popular morning show, “Fox & Friends.”

Rotating co-hosts will fill in once Hasselbeck leaves until a permanent co-host is named.

Hasselbeck rose to fame as a member of “The View” panel for a decade, making headlines for her conservative views on politics and culture.

On “Fox & Friends,” she joined longtime co-hosts Brian Kilmeade and Steve Doocy for the decidedly conservative-leaning morning show, making headlines on a variety of hot-button issues, including her suggestion that Black Lives Matters should be classified as a hate group.

Hasselbeck praised Fox News in a long farewell statement. “Oftentimes, the most difficult decisions are between two great things,” she said.

“Throughout my 14 years working in television, I have never experienced a more positive and thoughtful atmosphere than FOX News Channel, thanks to the strong leadership of (FOX News Chairman & CEO) Roger Ailes, who has created the best working environment a woman and mother could ask for.”

Ailes also sung Hasselbeck’s praises: “Elisabeth and I discussed this at length over several weeks, and while I would love for her to continue here, I respect her incredibly difficult, yet deeply personal decision. She has been a great addition to the ‘Fox & Friends’ franchise.”