‘CBS Mornings’ Shakeup: Norah O’Donnell Rejoins Show as Permanent Cohost

CBS Mornings is looking to the past for its new cohost, as Norah O’Donnell will return to the flagship morning program she previously hosted from 2012 to 2019.

O’Donnell, who has served as a senior correspondent and fill-in anchor since 2024, will cohost alongside Gayle King and Nate Burleson. She takes the spot previously held by Tony Dokoupil, who was promoted to CBS Evening News back in January.

“Some big news! Excited to join @cbsmornings with Gayle King, Nate Burleson and the incredible team of journalists,” O’Donnell wrote on Instagram on Thursday (September 3) morning.

She added, “This feels like a real homecoming. When I last anchored the morning show I had three kids in Montessori school, and this past week I dropped three kids off at college. What a journey! See you on the TV!”

 

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O’Donnell first joined the morning program in 2012 after serving as the network’s chief White House correspondent. She left the position in 2019 after being named anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News.

Since leaving the evening broadcast in 2024, O’Donnell has been working as a senior correspondent across the network. She was also promoted to a full-time correspondent role at 60 Minutes back in July.

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“This is a homecoming for Norah. As we all know, for seven years, Norah helped lead CBS This Morning alongside Gayle, creating one of the most memorable partnerships in the history of morning news,” CBS Mornings EP Jon Tower told staff in a memo Thursday morning, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Tower continued, “[O’Donnell and King] have a friendship and chemistry that extends beyond the studio. They know each other, respect each other, and — maybe most importantly — genuinely enjoy each other. To put it simply, I can’t think of a team I’d rather watch navigate the news than Gayle, Nate and Norah.”

The news comes following a recent report that King was “not happy” about the possibility of O’Donnell returning as co-anchor. A source told the New York Post that the duo’s relationship is “strained,” describing them as “cordial colleagues bordering on frenemies.”