Norah O’Donnell Stepping Down as ‘CBS Evening News’ Anchor

Norah O’Donnell is stepping down as anchor of CBS Evening News after spending five years as the face of the program.

Puck‘s Dylan Byers reported on Tuesday (July 30) that O’Donnell will relinquish her anchor spot after the 2024 presidential election cycle in favor of a new deal with CBS that includes more platforms for her interviews and specials. She will still contribute to other CBS programs, including her current stomping grounds at CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes. 

O’Donnell told Byers, “The way our product is distributed is changing. How do we do those big interviews, that great storytelling, and share that in a different kind of way so it can reach a different kind of audiences?”

Before becoming a CBS mainstay, O’Donnell worked for NBC’s smattering of programs, including as commentator for The Today Show, MSNBC correspondent, and contributor for NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC.

At CBS, she became coanchor of CBS This Morning in 2012 before becoming the primary anchor of the series in 2019, replacing Jeff Glor. O’Donnell was just the third woman to anchor the show, after Connie Chung and Katie Couric. She got her start as a part-time anchor in 2011 before becoming co-anchor in 2012.

In a memo addressed to staff, Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News, wrote, “Norah’s work here is legendary, and she has several major interviews in the works that will be equally memorable and momentous. The industry is changing so rapidly. There is an urgency to transform and drive revenue around audience growth.”

Byers also reported that her replacement at the anchor table may be a series of rotating news anchors.