Norah O’Donnell announces plans to step down from CBS Evening News

Veteran news anchor said ‘it’s time to do something different’ as she gears up for coverage of the presidential election for a seventh time

Norah O’Donnell will be transitioning to a new role at CBS after five years as an anchor for Evening News (["Getty Images for Women in Medi)

News anchor Norah O’Donnell has announced that she will leave her post at CBS Evening News following November’s presidential election.

The veteran journalist has worked across some of CBS News’ flagship shows for well over a decade since joining the outlet in 2011, becoming the face and managing editor of Evening News in 2019.

Now, O’Donnell, 50, has taken stock and decided that it’s time to switch up her career, she told colleagues in an email obtained by The New York Times. She is looking to make the move after the 2024 election on November 5, which will likely see either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris in the White House.

“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 said. “It’s time to do something different.”

Despite committing to leave behind CBS Evening News, it’s neither goodbye to the network nor the world of journalism altogether.

Instead, O’Donnell will become CBS News’ newest senior correspondent and said she made a “long-term commitment” to the organization.

O’Donnell said she will continue to do hard-hitting interviews in her new role for the network (Getty)

In May, she interviewed Pope Francis at the Vatican for a prime-time slot on 60 Minutes, where they discussed controversial issues such as gay marriage and whether women should be ordained.

Now, O’Donnell said she will continue to do “big interviews” and will feature across a number of CBS News programs including 60 Minutes.

“In her new role, 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+,” CBS News executive Wendy McMahon wrote in a memo shared with staff.

Her departure from the network comes as the parent company of Paramount Global, which owns CBS News, announced that it was merging with entertainment and production giant Skydance Media earlier this month.

The new leadership team is expected to takeover Paramount at an undisclosed date next year and has been tasked with scraping together $2bn in savings. Paramount is looking to make $500m in cuts this summer – resulting in widespread layoffs.

Approximately 20 employees have been made redundant from CBS News in Washington DC, New York and Los Angeles as part of wider cutbacks at Paramount Global.

Paramount Global will continue reducing the size of its workforce until its merger with Skydance closes, according to a memo written by the company’s co-CEOs Brian Robbins, George Cheeks, and Chris McCarthy, first seen by Reuterson July 7.

“I don’t need to tell you what a transformative time our business is facing,” O’Donnell wrote in her email.

“I see this as an opportunity.”

O’Donnell’s departure from CBS Evening News is not believed to be linked with the merger.

Former president of CBS News, Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, said that she would be leaving the company entirely after people head to polling stations on November 5.

Ciprian-Matthews suggests in a note to employees that she was looking to leave the company ahead of the Paramount-Skydance merger which may result in further redundancies.