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Norah O’Donnell has officially said goodbye to CBS Evening News, which she called the “honor of a lifetime.”
The veteran CBS journalist became the lead anchor of the iconic news program, which has been on the air since 1947, in 2019, taking over for Jeff Glor. She followed in the footsteps of broadcasting legends like Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.
During her final broadcast on Thursday, January 23, O’Donnell reflected on her time with the program, saying, “The CBS Evening News is, for good reason, the longest-running evening newscast in America, and it has been powered by the finest journalists around the world — the correspondents, producers and researchers and crews who work tirelessly to bring you the news every night. And that won’t change, because journalism matters. I know that, because I have heard it from so many of you viewers.”
“So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for trusting us and welcoming hard news with heart into your homes.”
Find out more about her below!
1. She was the second woman ever to host CBS Evening News solo in its 72-year history.
After O’Donnell took over for Glor on May 20, 2019, she made history as the second woman to lead CBS Evening News. The investigative journalist, who began her career 25 years ago, followed in the footsteps of Katie Couric, who hosted the show from 2006 to 2011. While Connie Chung also hosted Evening News from 1993 to 1995, she co-anchored with Rather.
“Norah is one of the leading journalists of our time,” CBS News President Susan Zirinsky said in a statement at the time. “Her outstanding reporting, incisive interviews and dedication to the truth will distinguish the CBS Evening News every night.” She would also serve as the show’s managing editor.
2. O’Donnell transitioned from CBS This Morning.
O’Donnell joined CBS This Morning in 2012 as a co-host with Gayle King and Charlie Rose. Rose left the program in 2017 after being accused of sexual harassment. O’Donnell addressed the situation on air, and slammed Rose, saying, “Let me be very clear, there is no excuse for this alleged behavior… Women cannot achieve equality in the workplace or in society until there is a reckoning and a taking of responsibility.”
After O’Donnell left the program, King became the lead host of CBS This Morning. She was joined by two other familiar CBS faces: Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil. “Gayle’s game-changing interviews, compassionate storytelling and authenticity make her one of a kind. Her unrivaled ability to connect with audiences makes ‘CBS This Morning’ relevant, relatable and the place you must start your day,” Zirinsky said in her statement.
3. She was rumored to be feuding with her This Morning co-host, Gayle King.
When the news broke that O’Donnell was leaving This Morning, rumors started swirling that it was because the two women were fighting. “The news should rarely be about us, and sometimes what you read isn’t even true,” King said on the Ma6 episode. “It’s so amazing to me, Norah, that after seven years together, that now people would say that you and I have some beef… I have no beef with you. You have no beef with me.”
4. She spent 12 years at NBC News before moving to CBS in 2011.
O’Donnell joined NBC News in 1999 as a Washington Bureau correspondent, Weekend Today rotating anchor, and an MSNBC Live fill-in anchor. She later became a Dateline NBC contributing correspondent and the MSNBC Chief White House correspondent. Upon moving to CBS News in 2011, O’Donnell became the network’s Chief White House correspondent, as well as a fill-in anchor for Evening News, a Face the Nation correspondent and fill-in host, and a 60 Minutes correspondent, along with her This Morning duties.
5. She is remaining with CBS News as a senior correspondent.
While she is leaving the evening news program, O’Donnell will remain with CBS News as a senior correspondent.
“I’m pleased to share that I have made a long-term commitment to CBS News to continue to do the same storytelling and big interviews that have been our hallmark. I will continue to contribute to Evening News and all of our news broadcasts, including 60 Minutes,” O’Donnell said in a letter.
