NEW YORK (AP) -- Elisabeth Hasselbeck said Monday that she's leaving as one of the three co-hosts on the Fox & Friends morning show to spend more time with her three children.
Hasselbeck was the conservative voice on The View before joining Fox News Channel in September 2013. Her co-hosts, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, have been on the morning chat show since it launched in 1998. It is the top-rated morning news show on cable.
She said in a statement Monday that she wants to start the day with her children first. She and her husband, former pro football quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, have two boys and a girl between ages 6 and 10.
"With a heart full of gratitude and the peace that God has given me, I am confident that this personal decision is the right one for our family, and we will be joining all of you watching 'Fox & Friends' each morning as we get ready for school together."
Her last show on Fox & Friends will be in late December. Fox will try out guest hosts before announcing a permanent successor.
Hasselbeck first received attention as a contestant in the CBS game Survivor. Fox & Friends was parodied this past weekend on Saturday Night Live, with Hasselbeck's character complaining about coverage for the upcoming Black Friday shopping day.
"All Fridays matter," the character said.
The Associated Press
