Norah O'Donnell is the anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News," anchor of CBS News Election Specials, including primary, debate and election nights, and a 60 Minutes contributing correspondent. She is the host of CBS News 24/7's "Person to Person," where she brings interviews that go beyond the headlines through thoughtful conversation.
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 is covering her eighth presidential election and has 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.
Named anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News" in 2019, O'Donnell leads CBS News' flagship broadcast from Washington, D.C., becoming the only network evening news anchor based in the nation's capital. She is the only woman to currently anchor an evening news program on broadcast television. Previously, O'Donnell was co-host of "CBS This Morning" since 2012. Prior to that, she served as CBS News' chief White House correspondent covering the administration of President Barack Obama.
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. O'Donnell was the first American journalist to travel to the Red Sea to report on the rising tensions in the Middle East. She also reported from Tel Aviv immediately after the Hamas terror attacks and continues to cover the Israeli-Hamas War. O'Donnell was the first anchor to visit Maui after 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.
As the anchor of the "CBS Evening News," O'Donnell has conducted interviews with newsmakers in Washington and beyond, including President Joe Biden's first interview since taking office; an exclusive sit-down with Vice President Mike Pence after the killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani; the first-ever interview with the four highest-ranking women in the United States military; an exclusive interview with a former staffer for New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo who alleged sexual harassment by the governor, and more.
O'Donnell has sat down with some of the world's most influential leaders. In September 2019, O'Donnell interviewed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his first interview following the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. She also interviewed the Crown Prince for "60 Minutes" in 2018. O'Donnell is the only western television journalist to have interviewed the Saudi Crown Prince twice. She has also interviewed South Korean President Moon Jae-in; the Duke of Sussex Prince Harry; Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai; and the Dalai Lama.
She has been central in shaping the "CBS Evening News"' focus on "hard news with heart," guiding the broadcast's inclusion of series that profile the communities and individuals behind the day's biggest headlines. For example, she has reported extensively on the U.S. military, including launching "Profiles in Service," a series highlighting stories of veterans, members of the military and Americans from coast to coast who are giving back to their communities. O'Donnell also led the development of "Heart of America," a daily segment in the "CBS Evening News" that highlights the Americans that inspire and provide hope from every corner of the country.
O'Donnell has been recognized with multiple honors and awards. In 2023, O'Donnell and the "CBS Evening News" were awarded an Edward R. Murrow Award for the broadcast's report on the landmark overturning of Roe v. Wade. O'Donnell was awarded a prestigious 2022 duPont-Columbia Award and the Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Broadcast National/International Coverage in 2021 for an exclusive, year-and-a-half long investigation into sexual assault in the U.S. military. This followed her Emmy-award winning reporting in 2018 on sexual assaults at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Her reporting on sexual assault at the Air Force Academy was also recognized by the prestigious White House Correspondents' Association. O'Donnell also received the Headliner Award in Business and Consumer Reporting for her "60 Minutes" report on the front lines of automotive industry factories for Ford and GM as they pivot from making cars to COVID-19 PPE and ventilators in a rapid changeover not seen since World War II. In 2020, O'Donnell and the "CBS Evening News" were also recognized with an Edward R. Murrow Award for 'Best Newscast' for its on-the-ground and exclusive coverage from the U.S.-Mexico border, including O'Donnell gaining first access inside migrant detention centers and her interview with Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan.
O'Donnell received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Breaking News Coverage for her contributions to CBS News' coverage of George Floyd and the forces of change. O'Donnell was part of the CBS News team that received an Alfred I. DuPont Award for the Network's coverage of the 2012 Newtown massacre. She has earned several Gracie Awards including being named Outstanding News Anchor in 2020 and Best National News On-Air Talent for the year 2018 and 2016. Additionally, O'Donnell was awarded the Merriman Smith Memorial Award for excellence in presidential news coverage for her exclusive "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, on his decision not to run for president in 2016.
Prior to joining CBS News, O'Donnell worked for more than a decade at NBC News, where she covered the Pentagon, Congress, and the White House. At NBC, she reported from the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, and received a second Sigma Delta Chi Award for Breaking News Coverage for a "Dateline NBC" story titled "D.C. In Crisis." In the months following the attacks, she traveled extensively with then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, including on his first trip to Afghanistan following the terrorist attacks.
Prior to covering the White House, O'Donnell was NBC News congressional correspondent, reporting on the lead-up to the Iraq War. She began her career as a print reporter for Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, for which she covered the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and traveled the country covering congressional elections.
A firm believer in empowering women, O'Donnell sits on the board of directors of the International Women's Media Foundation. 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 from our country's narrative. The book will be published by Ballantine in the first half of 2026.
O'Donnell is a graduate of Georgetown University's College of Arts and Sciences and received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy as well as a Master of Arts in liberal studies. She is married to the bacon-loving Geoff Tracy, otherwise known as Chef Geoff, and is the mother of three children.
