Norah O'Donnell is the anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News,” the oldest evening news broadcast in America. O’Donnell anchors all of CBS News Election Specials and is a “60 MINUTES” contributing correspondent. She is also the host of CBS News’ “Person to Person with Norah O’Donnell,” part of the CBS News streaming network. 

 

O’Donnell is a multiple Emmy Award-winning journalist with nearly three decades of experience covering the biggest stories in the world and conducting impactful, news making interviews. She has covered eight presidential elections and interviewed every living President of the United States. In 2024, O'Donnell spoke exclusively with Pope Francis in Rome for a historic and first-of-its-kind papal interview for an American journalist.

 

Recently, O’Donnell has taken the CBS Evening News broadcast across the world to provide viewers with a first-hand look at some of the most important stories of our time. Most recently, O’Donnell was the first American journalist to travel to the Kingdom of Bahrain to report on the rising tensions in the Middle East. She also reported from Tel Aviv to cover the deadly war between Israel and Hamas, in addition to visiting Maui to cover the deadliest wildfires in the U.S. in over a century. Over the past year, she has interviewed major figures shaping politics, culture, and foreign affairs, including presidential candidate Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, retired General Mark Milley, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and global icon Dolly Parton, among others. 

 

She is the only woman to currently anchor an evening news program on broadcast television. Before taking over that role, she anchored CBS News’ morning television program in New York for more than seven years. During her distinguished career, she has covered the White House, Congress, and the Pentagon. 

 

Born into a military family, O'Donnell grew up in San Antonio, Texas; Landstuhl, Germany; Seoul, South Korea and Washington, D.C. O’Donnell is currently writing a book on a female-focused retelling of American history that will feature women who have been forgotten, marginalized, or deliberately erased from our country’s narrative. The book will be published by Ballantine in the first half of 2026.