Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

"CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell poses on the red carpet Dec. 8, 2024, for the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors Gala, in Washington. (AP) "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell poses on the red carpet Dec. 8, 2024, for the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors Gala, in Washington. (AP)

"CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell poses on the red carpet Dec. 8, 2024, for the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors Gala, in Washington. (AP)

Jeff Cercone
By Jeff Cercone January 24, 2025

Longtime ‘CBS Evening News’ anchor Norah O’Donnell has new role, she wasn’t fired

If Your Time is short

  • "CBS Evening News" anchor and Managing Editor Norah O’Donnell said in July she would step down from the broadcast after the November presidential election for a new role as senior correspondent.

  • The network said she would appear on multiple CBS News shows in her new role.

"CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell signed off on her last broadcast leading the show with a surprise video tribute from Oprah Winfrey.

O’Donnell stepped down Jan. 23 after more than five years as anchor, but assured viewers they would see her in her new role as senior correspondent on other CBS News programs, including "60 Minutes." Nevertheless, some social media users are baselessly claiming O’Donnell was fired.

"NOW: CBS NEWS’ Norah ODonnell, who famously fact-checked JD Vance during the Vice Presidential debate, has been fired after five years in the anchor chair," a Jan. 23 Threads post said.

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

Some posts tied it to President Donald Trump’s election victory and a network attempt to appeal to conservative viewers. An X post with more than 1.5 million views by Jan. 24 said, "CBS Evening News fired rabid anti-Trump anchor Norah O'Donnell. The drive-by media is desperately trying to move to the center."

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

We found multiple social media posts shared after O’Donnell’s final broadcast that said the network fired her. 

CBS did not fire O’Donnell. She said in July that she would stop anchoring the show after the November presidential election.

"I have spent 12 years in the anchor chair here at CBS News, connected to a daily broadcast and the rigors of a relentless news cycle. It's time to do something different," she wrote in a memo to staff, according to a July 30 CBS News report.

Featured Fact-check

CBS News President Wendy McMahon in July described it as O’Donnell’s decision in a memo to staff, The Hollywood Reporter said. Her new role would allow her to do big interviews and other stories across CBS and Paramount+ shows and streams, McMahon told staff.

A Jan. 23 CBS Evening News X post said,"This isn’t goodbye — Norah will remain a vital part of the CBS News family as a senior correspondent."

The new "CBS Evening News" will feature co-anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, weathercaster Lonnie Quinn and "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan in a new format, Variety reported.

We rate claims that CBS fired O’Donnell False.

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Jeff Cercone

Longtime ‘CBS Evening News’ anchor Norah O’Donnell has new role, she wasn’t fired

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up