John Walsh Returns to Host ‘America’s Most Wanted’ on Fox — With His Son (EXCLUSIVE)
When “America’s Most Wanted” returns to Fox next year, it will do so with familiar face at the helm/
John Walsh, the anti-crime activist and creator of the program, will resume hosting duties when Fox launches a new season series in 2024. He will do so with his son, Callahan Walsh, a child advocate for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an organization. The younger Walsh has appeared with his father before, both on “America’s Most Wanted” and on series his father has hosted for CNN and HLN.
More from Variety
”It’s an incredible time for America’s Most Wanted to return to Fox, especially in partnership with my son Callahan, to continue my lifetime’s work,” said John Walsh, in a statement. “I’m in constant awe over how instrumental our loyal viewers are in ensuring we get justice for victims and their loved ones, and today, they have entirely new tools at their disposal to help us fight back and quickly solve even more crimes.”
“America’s Most Wanted” was one of the longest-running programs on Fox when it was cancelled in 2011, then subsequently moved to Lifetime. Walsh originally launched the series on Fox in 1988 after his own son Adam was abducted from a mall near their home. Adam’s remains were found two weeks later. , Walsh’s family founded the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center, a non-profit organization that eventually merged with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Since its inception, “America’s Most Wanted” has helped capture more than 1,190 criminals. Fox revived it in 2020, with Elizabeth Vargas as host, all with Walsh’s blessing.
Now, the original host will take over starting January 22. “John Walsh is a singular voice in a life-long crusade to bring justice to victims and their families,” said Allison Wallach, Fox’s president of unscripted programming, FOX Entertainment, in a statement. “It’s an honor to have ‘America’s Most Wanted’ and John, along with Callahan, return to his original home at Fox, to continue this important work by empowering viewers to help capture some of the country’s most dangerous fugitives.”
“AMW,” as it is often called, is the second of long-running justice programs from Fox’s past to be revived. “Cops,” a series that ran on Fox for 25 seasons before moving to Paramount Network for five years, was picked up by the Fox Nation streaming service, part of Fox News, in 2021.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
