Norah O’Donnell leaving CBS Evening News to launch new show as she pens farewell letter after 12 years as anchor

VETERAN television journalist Norah O’Donnell will step down from anchor duties at CBS Evening News.

O’Donnell is set to leave the anchor desk of the weekday evening news program after the 2024 presidential election .

Getty Images - Getty

Getty Images - Getty

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O’Donnell has been the main anchor of CBS Evening News since July 2019 after replacing Jeff Glor on the network’s flagship nighttime program.

Now, her new role will be a mixture of newsmaking interviews and other reporting duties for CBS, according to The Hollywood Reporter .

O’Donnell will occasionally appear on CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes.

The news veteran, 50, praised her team for all their accomplishments throughout the years but admitted it was “time for something different.”

“Together, our team has won Emmy, Murrow, and DuPont awards,” O’Donnell said in a note sent to staffers on Tuesday, according to Variety .

“We managed to anchor in-studio through COVID; we took the broadcast on the road from aircraft carriers to the Middle East, and around the world.

“We were privileged to conduct a historic interview with Pope Francis. There’s so much work to be proud of!

“But I have spent 12 years in the anchor chair here at CBS News, tied to a daily broadcast and the rigors of a relentless news cycle.”

O’Donnell continued, “It’s time to do something different.

“This presidential election will be my seventh as a journalist, and for many of us in this business we tend to look at our careers in terms of these milestone events.

Wendy McMahon, the CEO of CBS News and stations, applauded O’Donnell for her “unparallel newsmaking interviews.”

“The fact is… Norah’s superpower is her ability to secure and then masterfully deliver unparalleled interviews and stories that set the news cycle and capture the cultural zeitgeist,” McMahon wrote.

“From her global exclusive with Pope Francis to her interview with every living president, Norah’s newsmaking interviews always deliver for the audience.”

A replacement for O’Donnell was not immediately announced.

During her tenure on 60 Minutes and Evening News, O’Donnell landed key interviews with Pope Francis and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman .

Pope Francis and O’Donnell discussed various topics, including immigration, climate change, gay marriage, and his vision for the Catholic Church.

The interview from Vatican City was Pope Francis’ first interview with an American news outlet.

Before her anchoring duties at CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes, O’Donnell was a chief White House correspondent and later became a co-anchor on CBS This Morning in 2012.