Norah O'Donnell's Shake-Up At CBS Hints Her Reputation Is Soured

Norah O'Donnell's departure from "CBS Evening News" marks the end of an era, but not everyone is shedding a tear. After 12 years as anchor and managing editor, O'Donnell is moving on to bigger and better projects. And while she's thrilled about her next chapter, it seems her colleagues are quietly cheering, too, as she reportedly wasn't exactly the office favorite.

O'Donnell broke the news of her exit in July 2024, announcing that she'd step down after the presidential election coverage. Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News & Stations, confirmed at the time that the public wouldn't be seeing the last of the veteran journalist, as she's poised to take on other exciting ventures. "She will have the real estate and flexibility to leverage big bookings on numerous platforms, including primetime specials, 60 Minutes, CBS News Sunday Morning, and more," she said. O'Donnell herself couldn't have been more pleased, calling the shift long overdue. "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," she noted. "It's time to do something different."

But while O'Donnell is excited about the next phase of her career, it seems her soon-to-be-former colleagues are just as delighted to show her the door. Her relatively polished public persona apparently didn't quite match her behind-the-scenes reputation. While she's a star to viewers everywhere, working with her? Not so much. If the rumors are to be believed, her exit is being celebrated, just not for the reasons she might think.

No one is lighting fireworks over Norah O'Donnell stepping down from her anchor seat at CBS, but you won't find anyone mourning, either. In fact, according to InTouch Weekly, some of her colleagues are practically skipping into work now that she's on her way out. "O'Donnell's exit is a breath of fresh air for many at CBS. There's a palpable sense of enthusiasm," a source said. Apparently, this is because O'Donnell, who also served as managing editor for "CBS Evening News," was a nightmare to work with. "Norah's daily demands and explosive temper have left the team on edge, with some even reduced to tears," they added. "People are ready to see her go!"

And it's not just the crew feeling the relief — her bosses have reportedly been plotting her exit for years. Back in 2021, The New York Post reported that then-CBS co-president Neeraj Khemlani couldn't quite figure out why the network was paying her a fortune when her show was trailing behind the competition. Plus, the fact that she was broadcasting from D.C. for her husband and kids didn't sit well, especially when CBS could've saved big bucks by keeping the show in New York. "She is a woman version of an outdated anchor," an insider dished to the outlet. "Her appointment was an example of the worst kind of change. It was about optics." However, at the time, Khemlani denied that he wanted to replace her. "There are no plans to move the Evening News from Washington. Norah's presence in Washington has elevated the 'CBS Evening News” coverage on all fronts," he said in a statement.

When it comes to Norah O'Donnell's so-called "demands," she was reportedly running the newsroom like Miranda Priestly. With a $65,000 annual clothing allowance, she pulled what insiders dubbed a "Devil Wears Prada" routine, insisting on a full-on "dress rehearsal" before every show, which sent her team into a panic as she nitpicked everything down to the smallest detail. "There was an incident last year in the studio where she ranted about how her bronzer was wrong," one insider dished to The New York Post in March 2022. "We are in the middle of a pandemic and people are dying." Another source described her as a "news actress," and apparently, her stiff, cold delivery had producers scrambling to inject some humanity into her on-air persona, which was the opposite of what they were supposed to be doing.

Unsurprisingly, that "news actress" label hit a nerve. O'Donnell was reportedly livid that CBS didn't immediately jump to quash the rumor. "Norah went crazy after she read the report calling her a 'news actress.' By saying nothing her boss was throwing her under the bus," a source shared with Radar. "The only reason they finally reluctantly issued a statement is because Norah lost her mind." Now, while it seems like O'Donnell is stepping down on her own terms, CBS had apparently been ready to cut her loose for years. As one insider put it: "If you have to demand that your boss defend you, then you probably have the wrong job."