Juan Williams Leaving Fox News' The Five as Show Prepares to Return to In-Studio Filming

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Juan Williams is leaving his spot as a co-host on The Five after seven years with the program.

Williams, who has long served as a liberal voice on the Fox News show, announced the news of his departure at the close of Wednesday's show. Going forward, the veteran journalist will remain on with the network as a political analyst and The Five will have rotating liberal co-hosts until a liberal replacement for Williams is named.

"This is my last day hosting The Five," he began Wednesday. "COVID taught me a lot of lessons. As the show goes back to the New York studio, I'll be staying in D.C. I'll be working for Fox out of Washington. My work as a Fox News political analyst will continue."

Williams, 67, continued, "You know, it's been going on seven years since I have been a daily host of this show. The show's popularity has grown every single year, so thank you."

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"Thank you so much, to you, the viewers, thank you," he concluded before co-host Dana Perino introduced a highlight reel from Williams' time on the show.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Fox cited Williams' desire to remain in Washington, D.C. as the reason for his departure.

"As Juan Williams announced on-air today, he will be leaving The Five to live in Washington, D.C., full time. We are incredibly grateful for his commitment to the show and its success over the last several years," said Megan Albano, VP for The Five and weekend programming.

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"As we started planning The Five's return to its New York City studio at our headquarters a few months ago, Juan decided to stay in Washington, D.C., permanently," she added. "We accommodated his request, understanding and appreciating his desire to remain closer to his family and recognizing that a remote co-hosting role on a roundtable in-studio program was not a long-term option."

The statement concluded, "While we will miss his insightful contributions each night and look forward to welcoming him on set whenever he's in New York, we are pleased to have him continue his longtime role as a senior political analyst with Fox News Media."

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Williams first joined Fox News as a contributor in 1997 before becoming a regular co-host on The Five about seven years ago. In addition to his work on TV, he has been published in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly and Time.