Norah O’Donnell to step down as ‘CBS Evening News’ host after election

“CBS Evening News” host and managing editor Norah O’Donnell will leave the anchor desk following the 2024 election and transition to a senior correspondent role within the company, the network announced Tuesday.

O’Donnell, who recently marked five years behind the anchor desk for the evening news show, said it was time for a change after 12 years as an anchor for CBS News.

“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 in a statement Tuesday.

In a memo to her colleagues, shared with The Hill, O’Donnell said she will continue anchoring CBS News’s major coverage in the coming months, especially related to the election and any presidential debates, and applauded the “CBS Evening News” crew for their recent accomplishments.

“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!” she wrote.

O’Donnell noted she has made a “long-term commitment to CBS News” and will continue to contribute to the network’s evening news verticals and other news broadcasts, including “60 Minutes.”

Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News & Stations and CBS Media Ventures, said the new role will allow O’Donnell to “do more of the storytelling and big interviews,” and will give her the “tie and support to deliver even more of the exceptional stories.”

Prior to anchoring “CBS Evening News” beginning in 2019, O’Donnell was the co-host of CBS’s weekday morning show, called “CBS This Morning” at the time.

A successor for O’Donnell was not immediately announced.

“CBS Evening News” generally falls third in the network ratings behind ABC’s “World News Tonight” with David Muir and the “NBC Nightly News” with Lester Holt, The Associated Press reported.

The announcement comes weeks after CBS’s parent company, Paramount, and media conglomerate Skydance finalized their merger deal following months of back and forth. The combined company is valued at around $28 billion.