Norah O'Donnell to leave "CBS Evening News" anchor desk after 2024 election for new role at network

"CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell has announced that she will leave her role at the anchor desk after the 2024 election and take on a new position at the network.

"We just celebrated an amazing five years together. I love what I do, and I am so fortunate to work with the best journalists and people in the business," O'Donnell said in a message shared with the staff. "Together, our team has won Emmy, Murrow, and DuPont awards. 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 O'Donnell, who previously co-hosted the network's morning news program, said she felt it was time to make a change.

"I have spent 12 years in the anchor chair here at CBS News, connected to a daily broadcast and the rigors of a relentless news cycle. 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," she wrote.

Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News & Stations and CBS Media Ventures, said O'Donnell's new role will enable her to "do more of the storytelling and big interviews that are a hallmark of CBS News, as well as Norah's illustrious career."

"Norah will have the time and the support to deliver even more of the exceptional stories she is known for across our shows and streams, across CBS Network and Paramount+. She will have the real estate and flexibility to leverage big bookings on numerous platforms, including primetime specials, 60 Minutes, CBS News Sunday Morning, and more," McMahon said.