CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell said goodbye to her viewers for the final time as she stepped down from her role amid a wave of sweeping changes at the network.
The veteran broadcaster signed off Thursday, calling her position, “The Honor of a Lifetime.”
O’Donnell, 51, has held the role since 2019 but first joined the network in 2012.
She is leaving the primetime slot to take on an expanded role after CBS parent company Paramount Global Axed 2,000 jobs.
Oprah Winfrey was among those who led tributes to the anchor, surprising her with a video montage looking back on her 1,300 broadcasts.
“You have so much to be proud of,” Winfrey said. “Your work as the anchor and management editor of the ‘CBS Evening News’ has not only won awards, but more importantly, has made such a difference and informed our nation.”
The tribute included clips from O’Donnell’s interview with Pope Francis, former President George Bush, Vice President Kamala Harris, Dolly Parton and other high-profile guests.
CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell said goodbye to her viewers for the final time as she stepped out of her role on Thursday
“This has been the honor of a lifetime to anchor this old broadcast,” O’Donnell said.
The “CBS Evening News”—for good reason—is the longest-running evening news broadcast in America. And it’s powered by the best 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 it from so many of you – our viewers.
“So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for trusting me and welcoming hard news with heart into your homes.”
O’Donnell announced she was returning in July, months before Paramount Global announced the shakeup aimed at beating $500 million in costs ahead of a planned merger with Skydance Media, the New York Post Reports.
The changes come as the network has struggled with declining viewership numbers that have lagged behind rivals ABC World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News.
CBS’ evening news averaged 4.6 million viewers in the most recent quarter and particularly struggled DIN’s crucial 25-54-year-old demographic, bringing in just 670,000 viewers.
O’Donnell will still work on feature-length broadcasts for CBS’ Specials, ‘Sunday Morning’ and ’60 Minutes.’

The broadcaster announced her departure months before CBS Parents Company Paramount Global Axed added 2,0000 jobs

She was surprised on her last day with a video montage of Oprah Winfrey with some highlights from the past five years

It featured highlights from her career, including this historic papal interview with Pope Francis last year

O’Donnell joined CBS in 2012 and has been an anchor since 2019. She will remain with the network in an expanded role


O’Donnell is replaced by CBS reporter John Dickerson (left) and CBS New York Anchor Maurice Dubois (right)
“I’ll miss you too,” O’Donnell told viewers. “So for the last time, that’s tonight” CBS Evening News. ‘I owe it all to everyone I work with. Serious. Love you. Good night.’
She will be replaced by CBS reporter John Dickerson and CBS New York Anchor Maurice Dubois who will be held along with the slot.
“I want to thank the viewers,” Dubois said on his show Thursday. ‘This is my hometown.
“And without the viewers there is no us, so thank you for everything over the years that we continue at a different time.”
It comes after the network was rocked by controversy over statements made by Morning News anchor Tony Dokoupil during an interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates about Israel.
He was chastised at a meeting of CBS executives after clashing with Coates on air after the author called Israel a “state of apartheid.”
However, he did not face any further consequences and remains the morning show co-anchor.
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