CBS' Norah O'Donnell Says 'People Are Fearful' About the Future amid 'Challenging' Leadership Changes at Network
- - CBS' Norah O'Donnell Says 'People Are Fearful' About the Future amid 'Challenging' Leadership Changes at Network
Brenton BlanchetFebruary 17, 2026 at 11:41 PM
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Norah O'Donnell on the 'The Jamie Kern Lima Show'
The Jamie Kern Lima Show/YouTube
CBS' Norah O'Donnell is opening up about recent leadership changes at the network
The CBS News correspondent and 60 Minutes contributing correspondent said things have been "challenging"
"Not only for me, but I know for my colleagues," she said on The Jamie Kern Lima Show
Norah O'Donnell is sharing her thoughts on the current period of upheaval at CBS News.
The CBS News correspondent and 60 Minutes contributing correspondent, 52, spoke about the network's recent shake-up during a Tuesday, Feb. 17 interview on The Jamie Kern Lima Show.
After host Jamie Kern Lima asked her about the "microscope" currently on CBS, O'Donnell — who appeared on the podcast to promote her new book We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America — said things have been "challenging."
"You know, I have worked at CBS now for, oh my goodness, probably almost 14 years and have had a great career," O'Donnell said. "Whether it was covering the White House, anchoring the morning show, anchoring the evening news [or] working for 60 Minutes. We have had a lot of leadership changes at CBS."
She added, "That has been challenging. Not only for me, but I know for my colleagues. And I think with so many leadership changes, people are fearful about what the future means."
High-profile exits and leadership changes have taken place at the network over the last several months amid the October appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Her new gig came after Paramount Skydance acquired her news and opinion site, The Free Press. Weiss, 41, remains editor of The Free Press while also overseeing CBS News.
Weiss notably pulled a 60 Minutes segment, titled "Inside CECOT," in December 2025. The segment focused on Venezuelan men who were deported by the Trump administration to a notorious El Salvador prison, and a veteran correspondent behind the story later claimed Weiss “spiked our story." She called the move “not an editorial decision" but "a political one," while a CBS News spokesperson wrote in an release that the story needed additional reporting. It aired on Jan. 18.
Among staffing changes at the network, 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens announced his departure in April 2025, amid Paramount's legal battle with President Donald Trump. At the time, the president had sued the show over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Paramount later paid $16 million to settle the lawsuit without an admission of wrongdoing.
Most recently, Anderson Cooper announced his departure from 60 Minutes on Monday, Feb. 16, after nearly two decades as a correspondent. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the CNN anchor said the decision came down to family.
“Being a correspondent at 60 Minutes has been one of the great honors of my career. I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business,” he said.
“For nearly 20 years, I've been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me.”
Other changes at CBS include Tony Dokoupil being named anchor of CBS Evening News. O'Donnell notably stepped down as anchor and managing editor of CBS Evening News following the 2024 presidential election. At the time, she said she was "fortunate to work with the best journalists and people in the business" and that it was "time to do something different."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
