Norah O’Donnell’s Final ‘CBS Evening News’ Show Moved Up 1 Day — When Is It & Why the Change?
Norah O’Donnell has revealed the date of her final CBS Evening News episode. The longtime CBS anchor will bid farewell to viewers on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
The date was originally confirmed by CBS to be Friday, January 2025. However, on January 17, the date of her final broadcast changed to 24 hours earlier because CBS Sports will be covering the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open on January 24, according to Deadline. With the programming change, CBS Evening News will only air a West Coast edition on Friday, and the network wanted O’Donnell’s final show to be a full national broadcast.
O’Donnell stayed at the anchor desk to helm the program through Donald Trump’s inauguration. Following her exit, the transition will begin and she will step down from her position.
Instead of replacing O’Donnell with one anchor, CBS Evening News is opting for a full revamp, which will see John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois anchoring from New York and leading an ensemble that includes Washington D.C. correspondent Margaret Brennan and weather reporter Lonnie Quinn. This comes after the show was broadcast from D.C. for the last five years.
O’Donnell, who became the anchor of Evening News in July 2019 (she previously worked on the CBS Mornings desk), isn’t leaving the network completely. She will move to a new role as a senior correspondent, where she will contribute special reports. She will also contribute to 60 Minutes, Evening News, and other shows.
Her shock departure was initially announced in July 2024. At the time, execs were planning to have the transition take place directly after the election, but have now decided to wait slightly longer (four days after Trump’s inauguration).
According to Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures, the hosting changeup will also come with a new look and format.
“We want to thank Norah for her exceptional work on the Evening News over the past five years, and we are grateful she has decided to continue leading our coverage through the election,” McMahon said in a statement.
She added, “Norah’s new role will give her the opportunity to contribute across CBS and Paramount, allowing us to see more of the groundbreaking stories and interviews that have been the hallmark of her career. Her superpower lies in her ability to secure and deliver big interviews and newsmaking stories that set the news cycle and capture the cultural zeitgeist. We look forward to elevating and showcasing Norah’s reporting now and in the future.”
McMahon said that O’Donnell’s decision to expand her role led to the network “reimagining and redesigning” the Evening News.
“The strength of CBS News has always been in its ensemble of journalists, both in front of and behind the camera,” McMahon stated. “Our goal with John, Maurice, Margaret, and Lonnie at the Evening News is to elevate the best in their fields every night for our viewers. In addition to this ensemble team, we look forward to welcoming 60 Minutes correspondents to file for the CBS Evening News when they have news to break; for decades this was routine, so it will be again.”
When O’Donnell announced her plans to leave, she said, “It’s time to do something different,” in a memo to staff. “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.”
O’Donnell became co-anchor 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.
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Norah O’Donnell brought excellent journalism and willingness to go anywhere including war zones to bring us the news. She also brought class to the position. I am glad to hear she will still be an integral and key part of CBS news.
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O
I will miss Norah. She’s the Best!
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I will miss seeing her, ever afternoon. She was my go to, for national news. Best Wishes, Norah
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Prediction CBS will fall to last place of the top evening news networks. Executives should have worked harder to keep Mrs O’Donnell on. What a shame. We live and learn. Sometimes we crash and burn. Every Network reports the same news. We watch the channel because we TRUST the messenger.
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I agree with Texas Ya’ll. I won’t watch anymore! Nora was the best!!!
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I'm not surprised given the what is going on right now. I think she can deal with less stress in other capacities then delivering the news of today. Best of Luck Norah. You are so professional it will be hard to ever replace you. You will be missed every evening during the week.
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Me too!
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I always look forward to seeing Nora, every night! I am very sad about this decision, but I wish her the best!
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O
Norah O'Donnell is a phenomenal journalist and my family and I will miss watching you as the anchor of the CBS Evening News at 7:00 pm! Norah the Evening News won't be the same without you. We wish you the best in your new role with CBS!
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G
It's on at 6:30 not 7
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R
You must realize there are multiple time zones in the US, and different broadcast times.
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P
Then why are they giving her the "boot". She saw the "writing on the wall" and is make a "gracious departure" because the alternative was that she would be fired altogether.
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C
How sad. Nora was the BEST!
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CBS hasn’t learned anything. Still negative slant to anything Republican and no comment on numerous negative Democrats actions
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O
I never disliked Nora, but she wasn't my favorite newscaster, either. I just wish they would be fair reporting both sides.
Good luck!
8 5
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C
Sometimes there is NO other side. There's the truth, and whatever BS lie trump is telling today. If you want to be fed lies, go to Fox.
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J
taking your head out your ass would help you poto.
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I will be switching to NBC after this !
I literally cannot stand Margaret Brennan
She is awful and has a terrible personality.
Who made this stupid decision
You are going to lose more viewers than you think
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I hate the new setup and correspondents, they are dry and not worth watching. Guess I won’t be watching CBS evening news anymore. Sorry she left, this was my go to evening news, good luck Nora, you are missed
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P
I do not like the new anchors. They almost sound like robots just no emotion whatsoever. Will watch another network
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G
I watch the CBS evening news for 2 reasons.1 lonny quinn, 2 holly williams.
Nora leaving is an upgrade.
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O
I think Every woman in the USA should Boycott CBS
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And every guy
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C
Glad she's still with CBS but I would like to see Jeff Glor brought back.
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G
I will miss Manura too!
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P
The replacement of Norah by the two gentlemen: BIG Mistake. Now it's NBC for me.
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I can't stand her I'm so glad she's gone. I watch David Muir but I will give CBS a try again
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G
In a nutshell.
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She uprooted and left behind many CBS people when they moved from NY to DC at her insistence. Bleh.
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C
Her final broadcast of the CBS Evening News just aired. So you can rest easy now. 🙄
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I will miss her very much she's very informative very brave she's like a mother sitting at the kitchen table we love you Norah O'Donnell
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I will be watching ABC and NBC CBS has lost my confidence
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I'm glad you didn't say Fox News!
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Do you count Fox News as MSM?
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not many are sad to see her go
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P
Good Riddance. This "diva" was known for her deplorable treatment of the people behind the cameras. She undermined Jeff Glor (who was far better and more personable than she was) by "sucking up" to Susan Zirinsky who was then the President and Senior Executive Producer of CBS (2019-21). O'Donnell showered her with gifts and pressed her to get rid of Glor and to move the CBS Evening News to Washington (which was costly to CBS) so she could be near her husband (who runs a restaurant there). They wanted to get rid of her several years ago (and actually offering her job to Brian Williams of MSNBC twice but he refused). They "lowballed" her last contract thinking that would get rid of her but she accepted a much lower salary to stay. This "new position" at CBS is just a fancy way of saying her career at CBS is essentially over. There won't be many "tears" among the staff at her leaving
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O
Very sad to see Ms. O’Donnell depart the CBS news. She is a quality journalist of the highest level. All the best and thank you.
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J
also drop dead gorgeous.good luck nora.
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P
She's a hack. Certainly not a journalist.
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Will miss Ms. O'Donnell when she leaves.
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G
I will not miss her.. glad to see her go!
Way to liberal for me!
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I have always admired Maurice Dubois (who is replaceing O'Donnell) as he is very professional and personable. He has worked at the CBS NYC affiliate WCBS for many years and is admired by his co-workers.
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I switched to CBS from ABC because I liked Norah. at first. over the past couple of years, she has gotten almost as bad as the others, and CBS news has really taken a bad turn, trying so desperately to spin every story against Donald Trump. Margaret Brennan, I will not watch. I will go back to Muir before I watch that witch. Also I can't stand Scott MacFarlane. him and Brennan are basically liberal activists, even with their expressions you see it. Ed o'keefe and Robert Costa could be good reporters, especially Costa. They just need to quit with the nonsense show Trump is Hitler. Norah is/was good looking, I enjoyed watching her, but her biased pettiness, reactions and expressions to Trump is just silly. Maurice DuBois might be more of a straight shooting news guy? don't know him very well but that's all I want- someone to deliver the news without putting a Democrats-are-my-favorite spin on every story. John Dickerson i've already seen more than I want, he's biased to the left. Norah was weird sometimes she tries to act just like Dan Rather, like when she comments to a reporter thanking them for the story, like a tight lipped Dan Rather used to like he was thanking a block wall. Why can't she just act like a normal person. All the MSM is terrible. it's all fake news, bringing you only the stories they want to or are paid to, and always promoting socialism, police brutality, and being against Trump above all else.
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You don't have to spin stories against Trump, he accomplished that all by himself. He's a serial liar, a con man and a traitor. Any news organization that ignores that are conning the American public. Go watch Carlson if that us what you want.
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C
I truly wish she was still CBS anchor for the evening news.
My 8 year old granddaughter could not believe it when we were watching the evening news and heard this.
She was so upset that she wouldn't see Nora daily with me.
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I'm hoping for a re-tooling of the show, taking the emphasis off flashy news personalities and back onto the news. She and Muir are there for their looks first, which tells us what these "news" organizations think of viewer aptitudes. Sick of the gimmicky format of ABC news too. They all need to go in the direction of PBS News hour.
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Thankfully, she & Margaret Brennans interview with K. Harris FAILED to derail DJ Trumps re-election! AMERICANS Spoke! 🇺🇸🗽🇺🇸
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I will be so HAPPY to see her go!
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Too funny - Norah will continue to procrastinate her exit at CBS News now into January 2025 and then beyond
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Dang, we have to listen to her until January?! So ready to trade her for two more liberal news “reporters”.
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C
I think Nora had been gone a long time ago. And CBS need to leave Donald Trump alone. He’s a good man y’all keep attacking him all the time.
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In other words, you only want the good things he does to be reported?
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It will be like a breath of fresh air. I will probably go back to watching CBS evening News. I have been watching Lester Holt he is very good as well maybe I'll record him and watch CBS first. Thank you Nora for leaving.
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