Norah O’Donnell Exits ‘CBS Evening News’ in Emotional Sign-off

Norah O’Donnell looked back on the “honor of a lifetime” as she made her emotional exit from CBS Evening News on Thursday, Jan. 23. O’Donnell, who has served as the broadcast’s anchor since 2019, received a special sendoff from her colleagues before taking on a new role at the network.

Oprah Winfrey first took viewers on a journey back from O’Donnell’s five years as the CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor, saying, “Through countless hours of breaking news, and nearly 1,300 broadcasts, Norah, you’ve treated each story with grace and compassion, putting world events into context, offering a hug, a little laughter, and a whole lot of smiles along the way.”

“You have so much to be proud of,” Winfrey continued. “Your work as the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News has not only won awards, but more importantly, has made such a difference and informed our nation.”

O’Donnell would go on to refer to her time at CBS Evening News as the “honor of a lifetime” and thanked the viewers “for trusting us and welcoming hard news with heart into your homes” while emphasizing the importance of journalism in her final sign-off.

“This has been the honor of a lifetime to anchor this legacy broadcast,” O’Donnell said. “The CBS Evening News — for good reason — is the longest-running evening newscast in America. And it is powered by the finest journalists in the world.”

“The correspondents, producers, researchers and crews who work tirelessly to bring you the news every night. That won’t change because journalism matters. I know that because I’ve heard that from so many of you — our viewers,” she continued. “So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for trusting us and welcoming hard news with heart into your homes.”

As her colleagues applauded O’Donnell, she told viewers, “I will miss you too. So for the final time, that’s tonight’s CBS Evening News. I owe it all to everyone I work with. Seriously. Love you. Good night.”

O’Donnell announced in July that she would be leaving her role as anchor and managing editor following the presidential election in order to take on an expanded role at the network working on long-form reporting and interviews for CBS’s primetime specials, Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes.

CBS reporter John Dickerson and longtime CBS New York anchor Maurice Dubois will take O’Donnell’s place, serving as co-anchors starting on Jan. 27. Their appointment will move the studio back to New York from Washington D.C. “I want to say thank you to the viewers,” DuBois said Thursday. “This is my hometown. And without the viewers, there is no us, so thank you for everything over the years we’ll keep going at a different time.”