Did George Will Head To Fox News After 3 Decades With ABC Because ‘This Week' Moved From Washington D.C. To New York City?

George Will is joining Fox News and is leaving ABC after three decades, Fox News announced on Tuesday. Did George Will decide to leave ABC for Fox News because the network moved the program "This Week" from Washington D.C. To New York City?

George Will has been referred to by "The Wall Street Journal" as "perhaps the most powerful journalist in America," The Huffington Post reports, and has been a main figure on ABC since the early 1980s, where he has been a panelist on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" since the program began.

An ABC news spokesperson told HuffPost's Michael Calderone that the move of "This Week" from Washington D.C. to New York played a major role in Will's decision, since he was forced to travel most weeks to New York to film the show, The Huffington Post reports.

The move of "This Week" was done to accommodate host George Stephanopoulos, who also anchors "Good Morning America" from Manhattan.

George Will will offer analysis and commentary on Fox News' daytime and primetime programming, including on the panels of "Special Report with Bret Baier" and "FOX News Sunday," Fox News reports.

Stephanopoulos provided a statement on Will: "As all his readers know, George is brilliant. Those of us lucky enough to work with him also know that he's a consummate gentleman. I learned from him every week, and wish him all good things."

Michael Clemente, Executive Vice President of News at Fox, also gave a statement on Will being added to their programming: "We are delighted to have someone of George's stature join FOX News," he said. "His wisdom is enduring and his achievements are far too long to list."