Tragic Details About CBS News' Norah O'Donnell

After a shake-up at CBS, Norah O'Donnell began making headlines. She announced her leave from "CBS Evening News" in July 2024 and officially signed off for the last time in January 2025. The TV host's journalistic awards include prestigious nominations and wins, like her multiple Emmy awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Breaking News Coverage, and the Merriman Smith Memorial Award, among others. With her obvious pride in her work and her ethical reputation, O'Donnell's commitment to journalism has not gone unnoticed by her cohorts. 

As Dana Bash, host of "Inside Politics" shared with Elle, "Norah never stopped doing reporting and going out into the field during her entire tenure as anchor of 'CBS Evening News,'" adding, "She is just tireless." But as ambitious as O'Donnell has been, climbing her way up the CBS rankings from reporter to a prime spot on the network's evening news program, she also fought through personal strife and setbacks. The former "CBS Evening News" host dealt with a series of tragic events that make her career milestones feel even more impressive. 

In January 2025, Norah O'Donnell spoke to Elle about some of the challenges that come along with a career in journalism. "I think there are incredible opportunities for women in journalism, she shared. "But I think it would be a disservice to suggest, especially to young women who are entering the workforce, that they're not going to encounter sexism and potentially harassment." 

Her words amplified a reality that many women have experienced. O'Donnell, one of the most established women in journalism, was certainly not immune to sexism in her field. After she was pitted against her "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King, the pair spoke out about their lack of animosity toward one another. King addressed the supposed feud on "This Morning," referencing a fellow journalist. "Tina Brown summed it up very nicely. She said, 'This never happens to men, this kind of cut-throat business. That the reality is it's two great jobs for two great women,'" King shared (via People). For her part, O'Donnell clarified in an interview with Extra that King was her "work BFF." 

Even the language around this alleged cut-throat dynamic between the two CBS reporters could be characterized as sexist. O'Donnell was accused of being "divisive" and "demanding," according to what sources told Daily Mail. O'Donnell's agent fired back with a statement that said, "In her 20-plus year career in news, she's become an unquestioned leader in her field. If she was a man, these kinds of unsupported accusations would never be reported" (via Page Six).

In 2019, Norah O'Donnell was faced with a scary medical issue that required emergency surgery. O'Donnell had taken some time away from the broadcasting cameras and studio lights with a spring break. The journalist had shaken the binds of New York and traded them for the sun of South Carolina. After experiencing five days of pain, the "CBS Evening News" host finally checked herself into the hospital to get help. The pain was caused by her appendix, which was showing early signs of rupture, and O'Donnell was quickly rushed into surgery to remove the organ before it caused more damage.

"The appendectomy was just such a fluke but very scary," O'Donnell told AARP in a 2021 interview, adding, "I will never take for granted a pain-free day in my life." O'Donnell was able to find some wisdom in the experience, sharing some of what she'd learned in an Instagram post. "Be grateful for every day that you can move your body," she captioned a post-surgery pic of herself. She also noted, "Our doctors, nurses, and health care professionals are true life savers."

In late October 2025, Norah O'Donnell sat down to interview President Donald Trump on "60 Minutes." The interview was a bit of a groundbreaking step for CBS and for O'Donnell herself. Since his last appearance on "60 Minutes" back in 2020, the president had announced his resentment toward the show after he abruptly exited an interview with Lesley Stahl because he didn't like her line of questioning. At the time, Trump also turned his animosity for the network toward O'Donnell, labeling her a "third place anchor" in a series of social media posts made in March 2020 (via Deadline). 

While the 2025 interview originally aired only 28 minutes of footage, CBS released the full, uncut version of the interview two days later. The long form report soon garnered online hate toward O'Donnell and her interviewing skills. As one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote in support of the president, "Norah O'Donnell is as adversarial as ever. She is rude, snarly & makes her positions apparent." Another apparent Trump fan shared the interview on X, writing, "Here is President Donald J Trump's entire interview with Norah Fake News O'Donnell." Yet another X user wrote, "With @NorahODonnell this will be a useless interview. She won't press Trump on anything."

Norah O'Donnell has proven that she is a journalistic force to be reckoned with. A multiple Emmy award-winning reporter, O'Donnell has dedicated herself to her craft, whether reporting from the scene of deadly wildfires in Hawaii or traveling to the Red Sea to bring U.S. audiences news from the Middle East. But her passion for journalistic pursuit has not been an easy trail for the reporter to trek.  

"And while I thoroughly enjoy it, because I love the news and am insatiably curious about what's happening in the world, it's also hard," O'Donnell told Elle in January 2025. The inconsistent scheduling and unpredictable requirements of the role kept O'Donnell on her toes at all times. "We get the call, we move," she shared. "It's a privilege to have a front row seat to history." However, with the job's excitement comes setbacks. And the CBS host has not shied away from talking about the trouble that her work has caused her. As she told the publication, "It is sometimes anxiety-provoking ... I am open about saying it has led me to therapy." 

In 2017, Norah O'Donnell had thought nothing about going to her dermatologist appointment. Knowing that she had fallen behind on her skin checks, the journalist made the appointment and continued on with her life. While away in D.C., O'Donnell received an email from her doctor about some biopsy results. The news wasn't good – it turned out she had melanoma on the left side of her upper back. 

In an essay for Good Housekeeping following her diagnosis, O'Donnell reflected on the experience. "I took good care of myself — was this somehow my fault? Why had I waited to get my checkup?" she wrote (via CBS News). O'Donnell, a mother of three, was well aware the diagnosis affected more than just her, as she shared with People, "It was really a wake up call to me. My husband was very concerned. My kids were really worried."

In O'Donnell's case, the melanoma was treatable, and she used her experience to bring awareness to others. In May 2017, the journalist took to Instagram and shared a pic of herself at the dermatologist. "May is melanoma and skin cancer awareness month," she captioned the photo. "I'm hoping to share more of my story this week to help save lives. Please get a yearly skin check."