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· collected 2026-09-04 · by Joseph Wulfsohn
Norah O'Donnell, a CBS News anchor, is returning to the morning program "CBS Mornings" alongside Gayle King and Nate Burleson after Labor Day. O'Donnell had previously cohosted the show from 2012-2019 and was prompted to respond to critics of her boss Bari Weiss, who they claimed were boycotting CBS programming due to Weiss' appointment as editor-in-chief. In an Instagram post announcing her return, O'Donnell urged viewers to "just watch our show" despite criticism from some liberal audience members. The article notes that several correspondents and contributors have been announced for "60 Minutes", including Ross Douthat, who exited The New York Times for the role.
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Story summary
Norah O'Donnell is returning to CBS Mornings, the morning program she previously co-hosted from 2012-2019, alongside Gayle King and Nate Burleson. She will make her official debut after Labor Day, filling the empty chair left vacant by Tony Dokoupil, who now anchors CBS Evening News. O'Donnell is urging liberal critics of her boss Bari Weiss, CBS News' editor-in-chief, to give the show a chance. Some of CBS' liberal audience has soured on the network over the past year following Weiss's appointment, with some accusing her of being "MAGA-friendly" despite her outspoken liberal politics. This criticism may be related to Weiss appointing Tony Dokoupil to take over as anchor in January, which led to John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois leaving the network. O'Donnell's return is seen as a homecoming by her colleagues, with producer Jon Tower praising her chemistry with King and Burleson.
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CBS News anchor Norah O'Donnell is urging liberal critics of her boss Bari Weiss to tune into "CBS Mornings" after the network announced her return to its marquee morning program.
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network → urge → program
O'Donnell, who previously cohosted what was then called "CBS This Morning" from 2012-2019, is set to return to mornings alongside Gayle King and Nate Burleson, filling the empty chair left vacant by Tony Dokoupil, who now anchors "CBS Evening News."
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who → cohoste → News
She will make her official debut after Labor Day.
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She → make → Day
"This is a homecoming for Norah," the show's producer Jon Tower told staff Thursday in a memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
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producer → tell → Digital
"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.
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Norah → know → news
They have a friendship and chemistry that extends beyond the studio.
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that → have → studio
They know each other, respect each other, and — maybe most importantly — genuinely enjoy each other.
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They → know → other
To put it simply, I can't think of a team I’d rather watch navigate the news than Gayle, Nate and Norah."
However, some of CBS' liberal audience have soured on the network over the past year following the appointment of Weiss as CBS News' editor-in-chief by new Paramount CEO David Ellison.
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some → put → Ellison
As highlighted by Zeteo media columnist Justin Baragona, O'Donnell confronted Weiss' critics head-on in the comments section of an Instagram post from "CBS Mornings" announcing her return.
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O'Donnell → highlight → return
"I feel Norah is too good to stay with CBS.
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Norah → feel → CBS
I wish some other news force had scooped her up.
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force → wish → her
," Instagram user Courtney Stevens wrote, to which O'Donnell replied, "This is so silly.
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This → write → which
I will never watch a minute of CBS programming after the Colbert/60 minutes fiasco.
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I → watch → fiasco
You deserve better than CBS!" another Instagram user wrote.
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user → deserve → CBS
O'Donnell responded, "Thanks for commenting.
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O'Donnell → respond → Thanks
A third Instagram user reacted, "This is tough but I can’t watch CBS anymore with Bari Weiss running things.
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Weiss → react → things
"This makes no sense.
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This → make → sense
Watch our show," O'Donnell replied.
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O'Donnell → watch → show
A spokesperson for CBS News declined to comment.
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spokesperson → decline → News
In addition to her return to "CBS Mornings," O'Donnell was also tapped as a new "60 Minutes" correspondent as part of a major shakeup at the long-running magazine show.
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O'Donnell → tap → show
Several other correspondents and contributors were announced, including Ross Douthat — who exited The New York Times for the role — following the firings of "60 Minutes" correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega and Scott Pelley as well as Anderson Cooper's exit earlier this year.
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who → announce → correspondents
O'Donnell previously served as "CBS Evening News" anchor from 2019-2025.
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O'Donnell → serve → 2019
John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois co-anchored the program for a year after she stepped down — and both Dickerson and DuBois left the network after Weiss appointed Dokoupil to take over the anchor chair in January.
Weiss has drawn the ire of far-left critics who accuse her of being MAGA-friendly despite her outspoken old-school liberal politics.
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who → co → politics
Both she and Ellison have expressed their mission of appealing to the 70% in the middle versus the political fringes.
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she → express → fringes
Ellison's Paramount is on the cusp of buying Warner Bros. Discovery for a whopping $111 billion, which would have him oversee both CBS News and CNN under one corporate umbrella.
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him → buy → umbrella
CNN staffers worry what Ellison will do to the network, as it was previously reported that Weiss may be tasked with having an oversight role of both newsrooms, though Ellison has vowed CNN will maintain its editorial independence.
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CNN → worry → independence
The merger has been delayed due to an antitrust lawsuit brought by California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
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merger → delay → Bonta
A trial is set for March 2027, though it is unclear whether a settlement will occur beforehand and whether Ellison would be forced to spin off CNN as a result.
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Ellison → set → result
