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Norah O’Donnell Leaves ‘CBS Evening News’ After Emotional Final Episode: ‘I Will Miss You’
Longtime broadcaster Norah O’Donnell officially said goodbye to CBS Evening News in an emotional farewell episode, signing off for the final time.
“As many of you know, this is my final Evening News broadcast,” she said during her last episode of the show on Thursday, January 23. “It has been an incredible five and a half years.”
“This has been the honor of a lifetime to anchor this legacy broadcast,” she continued. “You know, the CBS Evening News is, for good reason, the longest-running evening newscast in America.”
“It is powered by the finest journalists around the world — the correspondents, producers, researchers and crews who work tires loosely to bring you the news every night. And that won’t change, because journalism matters. I know that because I’ve heard it from so many of you, our viewers.”
“So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for trusting us and welcoming hard news with heart into your homes,” she said at the end of the episode. “I will miss you, too, but I will see you on CBS news programs, including Mornings, 60 Minutes, Sunday Morning and in prime time. So, for the final time, that’s tonight’s CBS Evening News. I owe it all to everybody I work with honestly. Love you, good night.”
Norah, 51, first announced her plans to leave CBS Evening News in July 2024.
“I have spent 12 years in the anchor chair here at CBS News, tied to a daily broadcast and the rigors of a relentless news cycle,” the newscaster wrote in an email to her colleagues at the time. “It’s time to do something different.”
It was also announced that she would be taking on a new role at CBS network after leaving CBS Evening News.
“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+,” Wendy McMahon, President and CEO of CBS News, said in a memo to staffers of the transition. “She will have the real estate and flexibility to leverage big bookings on numerous platforms, including primetime specials, 60 Minutes, CBS News Sunday Morning, and more.”
Norah began working as a CBS Evening News anchor in 2011 and became managing editor of the CBS Evening News in 2019, solo anchoring the show. The journalist made history as the third woman to anchor the program.
At the time, she said CBS Evening News “will deal with breaking news and that urgency but will also explore real issues of humanity, the things that connect us. … I hope the stories we cover will address our common humanity: Veterans, families with children with special needs, families who are struggling with their kids and their screen time. That is one of the big issues in my household right now.”
Shortly after the announcement was made of her departure plans, John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois were revealed as the new coanchors of CBS Evening News, who would be replacing Norah. They will assume the position on Monday, January 27.
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