Norah O'Donnell is returning to CBS Mornings on 8 September as a co-anchor, rejoining Gayle King and Nate Burleson after years away from the morning desk. She said she is currently in New Hampshire with her youngest, dropping her off, and told colleagues she will see them in New York next week.
Jon Tower told staff, "This is a homecoming for Norah," and said, "To put it simply, I can’t think of a team I’d rather watch navigate the news than Gayle, Nate and Norah." The shift brings back a former co-host who previously helped lead CBS This Morning from 2012 to 2019.
Jon Tower memo
In his note, Tower said, "As we all know, for seven years, Norah helped lead CBS This Morning alongside Gayle, creating one of the most memorable partnerships in the history of morning news." He added, "They have a friendship and chemistry that extends beyond the studio," and said, "They know each other, respect each other, and – maybe most importantly – genuinely enjoy each other."
CBS moved O'Donnell out of the morning show when she became the evening news anchor, and Tony Dokoupil took the anchor job that opened up on CBS Mornings. After the 2024 presidential election, she stepped down from CBS Evening News and later returned to a three-person morning lineup that CBS is again trying to stabilize.
CBS Mornings ratings
The return comes as CBS Mornings has been trailing NBC and ABC. The show averaged 1.62 million total viewers in July, compared with 2.77 million for NBC and 2.79 million for ABC.
The pressure sharpened during 27 and 31 July, when CBS Mornings drew 1.57 million average total viewers, its smallest audience in the program's history. CBS has also tested guest co-hosts over the past few months, including Elisabeth Hasselbeck in June, before settling on the current lineup.
Jon Tower said the show will feature more live discussions of real-time news developments and hot topics, a format change that points to a more active morning table rather than a short-term fill-in. For viewers, the change means the familiar trio is back together, and the real test starts when the audience numbers arrive after 8 September.
