If you’ve turned on the TV recently expecting to see that familiar face in the center of the CBS broadcast, you might have felt a bit lost. You aren’t alone. For five years, she was the heartbeat of the evening news, anchoring from D.C. with a level of intensity that’s rare even for the pros. But things look different in 2026.
So, what is Norah O Donnell doing now?
She’s definitely not retired. Far from it. While she’s no longer the face you see every single weeknight at 6:30 PM, her footprint at CBS has actually expanded in a way that’s arguably more prestigious—and probably a lot less exhausting than the daily grind of a nightly news cycle.
The Big Shift: Life After the Evening News Desk
Norah O’Donnell officially signed off from the CBS Evening News on January 23, 2025. It was an emotional goodbye, marked by a retrospective of her career and a special tribute from Oprah Winfrey. But the move wasn't a firing or a "quiet quitting" situation. It was a calculated pivot.
Honestly, the daily news desk is a marathon that never ends. Norah had been in the anchor chair for twelve years total if you count her time on CBS This Morning. She basically told the network she wanted to do "something different." That "something" turned out to be a long-term commitment to high-impact storytelling.
Today, she serves as a Senior Correspondent for CBS News.
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What does that actually mean for your TV screen? It means she's the one they call for the "big gets." Think exclusive sit-downs with world leaders, deep-dive investigations, and those prestige interviews that define a network's reputation. She’s also a contributing correspondent for 60 Minutes, which is essentially the Super Bowl of broadcast journalism.
Why "We the Women" Is Her Current Obsession
If you follow her on social media or catch her on the book tour circuit, you’ve probably seen her talking about a specific project. It’s called We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America.
This isn't just a side hustle.
O’Donnell spent a massive chunk of the last two years researching the unsung women of American history. We’re talking about figures like Mary Katharine Goddard—the woman who actually printed the first signed Declaration of Independence—and the Forten family women.
By March 2026, she’s been traveling the country, stopping at places like the Atlanta History Center to talk about how these women were essentially "erased" from the narrative of the country's founding. It’s a passion project that aligns with America’s 250th birthday celebrations.
What most people get wrong about the change
A lot of people assumed she was pushed out because of ratings. It’s true that CBS Evening News trailed behind ABC and NBC—that’s been the case for decades—but the reality is more about the shifting economics of TV. CBS wanted to move the show back to New York and change the format. Norah lives in D.C. with her husband, Geoff Tracy (Chef Geoff), and their three kids. She didn't want the commute anymore.
She chose the family and the long-form reporting over the daily spotlight.
The New Look of CBS News 24/7
The landscape she left behind has changed too. After she stepped down, CBS experimented with a co-anchor format featuring John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. However, by early 2026, the network pivoted again, naming Tony Dokoupil as the main anchor of the CBS Evening News.
Through all this musical chairs at the anchor desk, Norah has remained a constant for the big moments.
She still hosts Person to Person, her interview series on the CBS News 24/7 streaming channel. It’s a bit more relaxed than the evening news. You get to see her actually talk to people like Dolly Parton or Pope Francis for more than a three-minute soundbite.
What to Watch for Next
If you want to keep up with what she’s doing, you have to look beyond the nightly broadcast.
- 60 Minutes Segments: This is where her hardest-hitting investigative work lives now.
- Election Coverage: As a Senior Correspondent, she’s still a lead voice for major political events and specials.
- The "We the Women" Book: This is her major creative output for 2026.
- Special Interviews: Whenever a major world leader agrees to a CBS sit-down, there's a high probability O'Donnell is the one in the chair.
She’s basically moved from being a "generalist" who has to talk about everything for 22 minutes a night to a "specialist" who only shows up when the story is massive.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Viewers:
- Follow the Streaming App: Most of Norah’s long-form Person to Person interviews now premiere on the CBS News 24/7 streaming app before they ever hit traditional cable.
- Check 60 Minutes Listings: If you miss her "hard news with heart" style, the Sunday night magazine is your best bet to see her in action.
- Look for Local Events: With her book tour active in 2026, she is appearing at historical societies and libraries across the U.S., offering a rare chance to see a network anchor in a small-group setting.
Essentially, Norah O'Donnell has traded the "daily grind" for the "history books," both literally and figuratively. She's still very much a powerhouse at CBS; she just doesn't have to wear the earpiece every single night at 6:29 PM anymore.