Norah O'Donnell Returns to 'CBS Mornings' as Co-Host

Norah O'Donnell is coming back to 'CBS Mornings' as a co-host. CBS News told its staff on Thursday that O'Donnell will join the morning show on Tuesday, September 8. She will sit alongside co-hosts Gayle King and Nate Burleson. The move is meant to help turn around a morning show that has been struggling to find viewers.

O'Donnell's return is the first step in a bigger makeover for 'CBS Mornings.' The show is being redesigned to move at a faster pace and feature more live interviews. People who know about the plans say it may also become more of a discussion-style show, similar to 'Morning Joe' on MSNBC. O'Donnell, who is 52 years old, also works as a full-time correspondent on '60 Minutes.'

O'Donnell has a long history with CBS News. She joined the network in 2011 as its chief White House correspondent. Before that, she worked at NBC News for 12 years. In 2019, she moved from the morning show to become the anchor of the 'CBS Evening News.'

Back in her morning show days, O'Donnell was part of a team that helped CBS reach its highest ratings in 30 years. She, Gayle King, and Charlie Rose co-hosted 'CBS This Morning' starting in 2012. The show's ratings grew for five years in a row. Things changed in 2017 when Rose left the show after people accused him of sexual harassment.

The show was renamed 'CBS Mornings' in 2021 and got new theme music from the popular weekend show 'CBS Sunday Morning.' But the changes did not attract new viewers as hoped. The show has long ranked third in the mornings behind NBC's 'Today' and ABC's 'Good Morning America.' This year, the ratings have hit record lows.

Part of the reason for the low ratings is the cancellation of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' Colbert's replacement, 'Comics Unleashed,' draws only about one-third of the audience that 'The Late Show' had. That means far fewer viewers are leaving their televisions tuned to CBS overnight, so fewer people are watching in the morning.

After leaving the morning show, O'Donnell anchored the 'CBS Evening News.' That show stayed in third place in the ratings, but it did better than the two anchors who replaced her in 2025. John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois only lasted about a year before they were replaced by Tony Dokoupil. O'Donnell had quietly moved into a new role as a senior correspondent and contributor at '60 Minutes.'

In that role, O'Donnell stayed away from controversies and showed she was ready to take on big assignments whenever needed. Her willingness to step up earned her a full-time spot at '60 Minutes.' Now, that same attitude is bringing her back to the center of CBS's morning lineup.