4 Rumors About CBS News' Norah O'Donnell We Couldn't Ignore

Emmy Award-winning journalist Norah O'Donnell has been a household name for years. She's one of CBS News' most recognizable faces, known and beloved for her substantial coverage of all things politics. She boasts a long and impressive resume, but with extensive reporting comes equally extensive criticism, and O'Donnell has been the subject of several unflattering rumors over the course of her celebrated career. The no-nonsense reporter has evoked the ire of the public and the elite alike, including President Donald Trump himself, with several Reddit threads dedicated to discussing O'Donnell's (mis)conduct. 

Some pundits have accused her of biased reporting favoring the right. Others claimed O'Donnell was actively trying to sabotage Vice President JD Vance during the 2024 vice presidential debate, for which she served as a co-moderator. As 2025 came to an end, an entire Reddit thread was dedicated to discussing O'Donnell's "60 Minutes" interview with Trump, with users heavily criticizing her for referring to him as "Mr. Trump" instead of "Mr. President." Others commended O'Donnell for pressing the divisive politician for answers. 

The journalist wasn't afraid to interrupt Trump, and she didn't beat around the bush with her questions either. Interestingly enough, though, Trump's fragile ego appeared to remain unaffected by her ruthless questioning. "You're a wonderful reporter, you're very talented," Trump told her at one point (via YouTube). It was a notable difference from Trump's shady comments to female reporters that were raising eyebrows around the same time. Still, the divisive politician hasn't always been kind to O'Donnell, nor has the public, and she continues to be the subject of some hard-to-ignore speculation.

Norah O'Donnell has had her fair share of controversial moments, one of which included a reported scuffle with her famous colleague, Gayle King. In 2019, rumors swirled that the two women were at odds when it was announced that O'Donnell would no longer be hosting "CBS This Morning" alongside King. Insiders even told Page Six that she had pushed for O'Donnell to be axed from the show. Cue hundreds of speculative headlines. Then-CBS News president Susan Zirinsky decried the story as "offensive and 100 percent false." Even King addressed the swirling speculation on "This Morning." Notably, O'Donnell was still on air alongside her, with King clarifying, "I have no beef with you, you have no beef with me" (via The Cut). O'Donnell concurred, adding that she'd helped her to excel in her career, enthusing, "I want to thank you for being my work BFF." 

This wasn't the last time scuttlebutt made the rounds that King and O'Donnell were sparring behind the scenes though. In 2023, new reports claiming the two were feuding surfaced. Sources who spoke to Radar Online after then-CBS News President Neeraj Khemlani stepped down from his role posited that both women were vying to be top dog at the network. "They both see this as an opportunity to become the undisputed queen of CBS News," one alleged. "They each see his departure as a way to impress his replacement — who has not been named — and establish their dominance." The source further claimed that things were getting nasty behind the scenes, with O'Donnell and King supposedly "stabbing each other in the back whenever they can." There is, of course, no evidence that this was the case and neither woman has ever publicly discussed any issues.

Aside from whispers about feuds with her co-star, Norah O'Donnell has also been accused of having a bad attitude in the workplace. As her colleague, Jeff Glor, made his exit from "CBS Evening News," in 2019, a CBS insider dished to Page Six that O'Donnell was gunning for his job and had elevated rumors about his imminent departure. "Norah is toxic," they alleged. As it turned out, O'Donnell was indeed appointed in Glor's place, which made the story all the more believable. The scuttlebutt resurfaced in 2022, with a source telling the New York Post, this time, that O'Donnell exhibited "toxic behavior" and conducted herself in a manner reminiscent of "The Devil Wears Prada" character Miranda Priestly. Sources alleged that O'Donnell has a ridiculously expensive on-air wardrobe, regularly leaves staffers in tears, always insists on rehearsals, and has a tendency to change her news segments mere moments before her show airs. 

"The rehearsals are an excuse to blow up packages 15 minutes before the show. She changes the words to segments. Everyone has a stroke," one source asserted.  O'Donnell's publicist, Cindi Berger, decried the rumors, clarifying that all news anchors have a clothing budget, and that claims that O'Donnell's amounted to an eye-watering $65,000 annually were wholly inaccurate (Berger did not provide the actual number). As for the allegations that she acted like a spoiled diva on set, Berger stated, "I am vehemently refuting these outrageous and sexist claims!" Even CBS News President Neeraj Khemlani reasoned, "It's offensive that female anchors and reporters get this type of sexist treatment."

In 2022, gossip abounded that CBS was trying to get rid of Norah O'Donnell, with the New York Post reporting that she had taken a massive pay cut (52% to be exact) to stay on at the network. Insiders alleged that then-CBS News President Neeraj Khemlani and co. wanted to see O'Donnell go after the two butted heads. Executives reportedly considered the renegotiation of her contract as a golden opportunity to do just that, offering the longtime anchor only $3.8 million annually instead of the previous $8 million she took home. They were then left surprised that O'Donnell accepted the pay cut without argument. 

A CBS spokesperson denied any such underhanded happenings occurred at the network, telling The Wrap, "Wrong again. Neeraj led the effort to retain and re-sign about a dozen of our biggest anchors and correspondents over the last year, including Norah O'Donnell." Given these rumors, it should come as no surprise that, when she announced her exit from "CBS Evening News" in July 2024, tongues were wagging that she got fired. 

In a statement announcing her departure, O'Donnell said she had decided that "it's time to do something different," per USA Today. The journalist hadn't been axed from the network, though; she was simply moving on to a new position as a senior correspondent, heading both "60 Minutes" and CBS News. 

Major changes took place at CBS in 2025, with the network's parent company, Paramount Global, merging with Skydance Media. This shakeup saw gossip surface that Norah O'Donnell might reclaim her anchoring position at the network. The rumors seemingly even reached President Donald Trump, who expressed his disapproval of O'Donnell ever holding such a position again. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, in October 2025, Trump opined, "So who's going to be the head anchor at CBS? Not Norah O'Donnell. I don't believe it. I don't believe it," per the New York Post.

The outspoken politician's comments came after O'Donnell was spotted having lunch with CBS News' controversial new editor in chief, Bari Weiss. Status reported that O'Donnell was trying to get in her good graces in an attempt to get back in the anchor's seat. Additionally, Semafor noted that O'Donnell had already managed to land a spot at a roundtable, though it wasn't a permanent position. CBS sources who spoke to the New York Post asserted that Weiss would be making a mistake giving O'Donnell her anchoring spot back, however. 

"I can't believe Bari would be fooled by Norah O'Donnell. Norah has a track record of losing and Bari wants to win," they alleged. "Nothing says CBS News is stuck in the past more than putting Norah O'Donnell back on the 'Evening News.'" Whether or not O'Donnell eventually makes it back to the anchor's chair remains to be seen.