Norah O'Donnell to Leave 'CBS Evening News' Anchor Desk After Election

Norah O'Donnell is stepping down as anchor of "CBS Evening News" after the November presidential election, moving into a new role at the network, according to a note she sent to colleagues on Tuesday.

O'Donnell, 50, described the change as a "long-term commitment" with CBS News that will let her continue "the same storytelling and big interviews that have been our hallmark." In the memo, which was obtained by The Times, she said she has spent 12 years in the anchor chair at CBS News, tied to a daily broadcast and "the rigors of a relentless news cycle." She added: "It's time to do something different."

She also framed the timing around the campaign. "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 her new position, O'Donnell will be a senior correspondent appearing across CBS News programs, including the evening newscast and the newsmagazine "60 Minutes." She will stay at "CBS Evening News" through the presidential race and will lead the network's coverage of the upcoming Democratic National Convention and of election night. CBS has not announced who will replace her.

The shift comes during a turbulent period for CBS's parent company, Paramount Global. Its board and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone recently approved an $8 billion agreement to merge with Skydance Media. The deal is expected to bring uncertainty to the news division, which could face significant cost-cutting.

O'Donnell became anchor of the evening newscast in 2019, following stints by Jeff Glor, Anthony Mason and Scott Pelley, who is now a "60 Minutes" correspondent. The broadcast debuted in 1941 and was the platform for anchors such as Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.

Her program typically placed third in the ratings, behind "ABC World News Tonight With David Muir" and "NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt." CBS has trailed its rivals in the evening news race since losing key affiliate stations in the mid-1990s. Even so, the roughly 5 million viewers who usually tuned in to her broadcast made it one of the most-watched programs of the week, according to Nielsen data, at a time of diminished television ratings. The broadcast also received a News & Documentary Emmy nomination this week.

O'Donnell recently made history as the first U.S. television reporter to land a sit-down interview with a Roman Catholic pope. Her lengthy conversation with Pope Francis aired across CBS News programs and in an hourlong prime-time special. People inside the network who were not authorized to comment publicly said that interview led her to consider a role with more long-form interviews and programs. "It was a real lightbulb moment," one executive said.

Before taking over the evening news, O'Donnell was a White House correspondent for CBS News and became co-anchor of "CBS This Morning" in 2012. She previously anchored for MSNBC and covered Washington for NBC News.