Norah O'Donnell to step away as 'CBS Evening News' anchor this year

After five years as the face of the "CBS Evening News," Norah O'Donnell will step away as the program's anchor later this year.

O'Donnell, 50, shared the news with staff on a call Monday. The network has not yet named a replacement.

"After this year’s election, I’ve decided I will be leaving my role as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News to take on a new position at the network," she said in a statement shared Tuesday. "We just celebrated an amazing five years together. I love what I do, and I am so fortunate to work with the best journalists and people in the business.

"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," her statement added. "It’s time to do something different. This presidential election will be my seventh as a journalist, and for many of us in this business we tend to look at our careers in terms of these milestone events."

O'Donnell said she's committed to "anchoring all of our major coverage this year, election night and hopefully a debate" in the coming months. In her new role, she will remain a contributor to "Evening News" and other programs, including "60 Minutes," as a correspondent.

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"My final nights on the Evening News broadcast are still a long way away, and we will have plenty of time to celebrate our accomplishments," O'Donnell added.

CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon shared in a Tuesday statement that O'Donnell's new role will allow her to "have the real estate and flexibility to leverage big bookings on numerous platforms, including primetime specials, '60 Minutes,' 'CBS News Sunday Morning,' and more."

During her time at "Evening News," O'Donnell secured interviews with Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton, Benjamin Netanyahu and Hillary Clinton. She's also interviewed every living U.S. president.

Norah O'Donnell's new CBS News role comes amid changes at Paramount

In 2019, O'Donnell departed "CBS This Morning" after nearly seven years at the desk to replace Jeff Glor on "Evening News." She became the third female solo anchor of a network evening newscast, following ABC's Diane Sawyer and CBS anchor Katie Couric.

Last week, the nightly program was nominated for outstanding live news program at the 45th annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

"Evening News" has trailed ABC's “World News Tonight" and NBC's "Nightly News," currently anchored by David Muir and Lester Holt, respectively, for decades.

Months after announcing a round of layoffs in February, parent company Paramount Global in June announced major cost-cutting measures, reportedly totaling $500 million. Earlier this month, the company announced plans to merge with Skydance Media, LLC.