Will Cain Is the Right Man at Right Time for Fox News

Fox News switched up its daytime lineup this week, introducing a new look and fresh face to the network’s 4 p.m. slot. If his first show is a taste of what’s to come, Will Cain just might revolutionize how cable news is done.

Already dominating the ratings for daytime and prime time, Fox News decided to capitalize on America’s podcast boom by tapping Cain for the new show. When he made his debut Tuesday, Cain appeared on camera with a microphone to his right and graphics unlike other Fox News shows—a look reminiscent of his podcast.

It’s a notable departure from the set Neil Cavuto manned for 28 years in New York City. Cain isn’t even in the Big Apple. His show will be broadcast from Texas, a point he emphasized at the end of Tuesday’s show.

“I’m super grateful to have the show and incredibly grateful to be able to do it from America’s heartland,” Cain humbly told viewers. “I can only make you one promise, and that is that I’m going to be real. I’m going to be authentic and that I’m going to seek the truth.”

By picking Cain for the 4 p.m. hour, Fox News is hoping to build on its stunning success, even as it loses other on-air hosts and contributors to high-profile jobs in the new Trump administration (a total of 19 so far). Cain will serve as the lead-in for cable news’ top-rated show, “The Five,” which became the first non-prime time show to top 4 million viewers, doing so in the final quarter of 2024.

Cavuto’s departure in December created the rare opening for the network to refresh the 4 p.m. slot. Based on Cain’s successful broadcasting career and his debut Tuesday, they’ve picked a winner. 

Replacing the legendary Cavuto, a Fox News original dating to the network’s launch in October 1996, is no easy job. But if there’s anyone up to the task, it’s Cain. He’s proved through previous stints at CNN and ESPN that his upbeat personality and poignant commentary are a hit with audiences. Having spent the past few years at “Fox & Friends Weekend” and hosting “The Will Cain Podcast,” he’s well positioned to excel in the anchor seat. 

“Will Cain brings years of experience to the 4 p.m. hour as an accomplished broadcaster and a lawyer, and we look forward to adding his insights to what will no doubt be another historic news cycle ahead this year,” Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott said. 

The 49-year-old Cain will have the help of Fox News’ ratings dominance to succeed in the new role.

“As the rest of cable continues to experience viewership decline, Fox News has been chugging along largely unscathed,” Semafor editor-in-chief Ben Smith wrote in his media newsletter Sunday. “The network noted recently that all of the top 400 cable telecasts during the month of December were Fox News shows.”

Cain didn’t originally set out for life behind the camera. A native Texan, he attended Pepperdine University in California, where he made the water polo team as a walk-on college athlete. 

He got his start in media back home in Texas when he acquired community newspapers. Stints at CNN and ESPN in the 2010s propelled him into the spotlight, primarily because he offered a different take on news and sports at companies that are predominantly liberal. 

“ESPN doesn’t have a voice like mine,” Cain told the Washington Post during his time at the cable sports channel. While there, Cain used that to his advantage, offering a conservative counterpoint to big personalities like Stephen A. Smith. 

Cain made his move to Fox News in 2020 as co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” where he excelled alongside Pete Hegseth, who was tapped by President Donald Trump to be secretary of defense. The weekend show will now be hosted by Rachel Campos-Duffy and Charlie Hurt. 

“It has been an honor to wake up with America these past four years, and I am thrilled to apply my background in news, law, entertainment, and business to help our viewers better understand the headlines through thought-provoking content and analysis every weekday afternoon,” Cain said in a statement released by Fox News. 

It’s refreshing to see Fox News offer Cain this opportunity. There are always risks with change—and there’s no guarantee the cable news audience will embrace the podcast-friendly format—but it’s an exciting moment nonetheless.

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