Norah Morahan O'Donnell (born January 23, 1974) is an American

television journalist Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are broadcast by electronic methods instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. It works on radio (via air, cable, and Internet), television (via air, cable, ...

who is currently anchor of the ''

CBS Evening News The ''CBS Evening News'' is the flagship evening television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network in the United States. The ''CBS Evening News'' is a daily evening broadcast featuring news reports, feature st ...

'' and a correspondent for '' 60 Minutes''. She has worked with several mainstream media outlets throughout her career, including as former co-anchor of ''

CBS This Morning ''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987, to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012, to September 6, 2021. The program was aired from Monday through Saturday. ...

'', Chief White House Correspondent for CBS News, and a substitute host for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

's Sunday morning show ''

Face the Nation ''Face the Nation'' is a weekly news and morning public affairs program airing Sundays on the CBS radio and television network. Created by Frank Stanton in 1954, ''Face the Nation'' is one of the longest-running news programs in the history ...

''.

Early life and education

O'Donnell was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the daughter of Noreen Bernadette (O'Kane) and Francis Lawrence O'Donnell, a medical doctor and

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer.Stated on '' Finding Your Roots'', January 13, 2021 Her parents are both of Irish descent, with roots in Derry,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, and Donegal (meaning she is descended from both sides of the Irish Border). Three of her grandparents were immigrants, and her maternal grandfather lived in the U.S. illegally for 16 years. When Norah was three, her family moved to

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. When she was 10, the family spent two years in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

, living in

Yongsan Garrison Yongsan Garrison ( ko, 용산기지; Hanja: ), meaning "dragon hill garrison," is an area located in the Yongsan District of central Seoul, South Korea. The site served as the headquarters for U.S. military forces stationed in South Korea, known ...

as her father was assigned to work there. While an elementary student, she started her career in broadcasting by giving videotaped English lessons for the Korean Educational Development Institute.Norah O'Donnell revisits her childhood home in South Korea

The family moved back to San Antonio, where she attended Douglas MacArthur High School, from which she graduated in 1991. She then went on to attend

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, where she graduated in 1995 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in philosophy and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree in

liberal studies Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...

in 2003.

Career

O'Donnell worked as a staff writer for ''

Roll Call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of ...

'', where she covered

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. She spent twelve years of her career at the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

networks. A commentator for the ''

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It w ...

'', Chief Washington Correspondent for

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...

, and a White House correspondent for

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...

, O'Donnell was also a contributing anchor for ''

MSNBC Live ''MSNBC Reports'' (formerly ''MSNBC Live'') is the blanket title for the daytime rolling news programming block of the American cable news channel MSNBC. Programs under the banner are broadcast from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET on week ...

'' and an anchor on ''

Weekend Today ''Weekend Today'' is currently the branding of the weekend editions of ''Today'', an American morning news and talk program that airs daily on NBC. Weekend editions of ''Today'', began with the launch of the Sunday edition of the program on Sep ...

.'' O'Donnell reported for various NBC News broadcasts, including ''

NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NB ...

'', ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...

'', ''

Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasio ...

'', and

. O'Donnell filled in for Chris Matthews as host of ''

Hardball with Chris Matthews ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'' was an American television talk show that was hosted by Chris Matthews. The program premiered on the now-defunct America's Talking network in 1994 (as ''Politics with Chris Matthews'') before moving on CNBC, and t ...

'' and was a regular pundit for ''

The Chris Matthews Show ''The Chris Matthews Show'' was a half-hour weekend news and political round table program produced by NBC News. It was taped in Washington, D.C., and nationally syndicated by NBCUniversal Television Distribution. The program debuted on September ...

''. Since joining

, she has served as anchor in several of its highest-rated shows, filling in for

Scott Pelley Scott Cameron Pelley (born July 28, 1957) is an American journalist and author who has been a correspondent and anchor for CBS News for more than 31 years. Pelley is the author of the 2019 book, ''Truth Worth Telling'', and a correspondent for th ...

on the ''

'' multiple times, the first being October 10, 2011. She was chief White House correspondent in 2011 and 2012, and became a co-anchor on ''

'' in fall of 2012. On May 6, 2019,

Susan Zirinsky Susan Zirinsky (born March 3, 1952) is an American journalist and television news producer. She served as the President of CBS News from January 2019 until April 2021, when she was succeeded by Neeraj Khemlani and Wendy McMahon. She previously s ...

, president of CBS News, announced that O'Donnell had been named anchor and managing editor of the ''CBS Evening News'' beginning on July 15, 2019, will also be the lead anchor of political events for the network and continue as a contributing correspondent for '' 60 Minutes''. She becomes the third woman after

Connie Chung Constance Yu-Hwa Chung (born August 20, 1946) is an American journalist. She has been an anchor and reporter for the U.S. television news networks NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC. Some of her more famous interview subjects include Claus von B� ...

and

Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...

to serve as the program's weeknight anchor. Her last broadcast of ''CBS This Morning'' was on May 16, 2019. On April 8, 2022, O'Donnell had extended her contract with CBS News to keep as anchor of ''CBS Evening News'', through the 2024 election and afterward.

Career timeline

* 1984: Language instructor for the Korean Educational Development Institute * 1994-1996: Panelist, Youngbloods (show)

National Empowerment Television National Empowerment Television (NET), later known as America's Voice and eventually The Renaissance Network, was a cable TV network designed to rapidly mobilize politically conservative individuals for grassroots lobbying on behalf of the mo ...

* 1999–2011:

** 1999–2011: Washington Bureau correspondent ** 1999–2011: ''

'' rotating news anchor ** 1999–2011: ''

'' fill-in anchor ** 2000-2011: ''

'' contributing correspondent ** 2003–2011: NBC News White House correspondent ** 2005–2011: MSNBC Chief White House correspondent * 2011–present: CBS News ** 2011–2012: Chief White House correspondent ** 2011– May 2019: ''

'' fill-in anchor ** September 2012– May 2019: ''

'' co-anchor ** 2011–present: ''

'' fill-in host and correspondent **2013–present: '' 60 Minutes'' correspondent **2019–present: ''

'' anchor and managing editor **2019–present: ''

CBS Overnight News ''CBS Overnight News'' is an American overnight news broadcasting that is broadcast on CBS during the early morning hours each Monday through Friday. The program maintains a infotainment format, incorporating national, international and busine ...

'' anchor

Personal life

Family

O'Donnell lives in

, and New York City's

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

neighborhood with her husband, restaurateur Geoff Tracy (owner of D.C. restaurant Chef Geoff's), whom she married in June 2001. They met while attending Georgetown together. On May 20, 2007, O'Donnell and Tracy became the parents of twins, whom they named Grace and Henry. Their third child, daughter Riley Norah Tracy, was born on July 5, 2008; O'Donnell noted that her daughter's first name had been suggested by

Tim Russert Timothy John Russert (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008) was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's ''Meet the Press''. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Wa ...

, who died three weeks prior to Riley's birth. O'Donnell and Tracy made a cookbook for parents titled ''Baby Love: Healthy, Easy, Delicious Meals for Your Baby and Toddler'', released on August 31, 2010.

Health

In fall 2016, O'Donnell was diagnosed with melanoma 'in situ', meaning the cancer was contained to the epidermis and had not yet spread to the dermis and metastasized. She underwent surgery soon after where a "three-inch-long piece of skin from the upper left corner of erback" was excised. She later stated that she now gets regular skin check-ups "every three to four months" and "multiple skin biopsies" due to her high risk. In the years since her diagnosis O'Donnell has become a skin care advocate, encouraging others, especially women, to get regular dermatological check-ups and take better care of their skin by practicing good skin care routines such as using sunscreen. She talked openly about her diagnosis with her dermatologist live on CBS This Morning in 2017.

Awards and recognition

Washingtonian Magazine ''Washingtonian'' is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, D.C. area. It was founded in 1965 by Laughlin Phillips and Robert J. Myers. The magazine describes itself as "The Magazine Washington Lives By". The magazine's core focuses ar ...

'' has named O'Donnell as one of Washington's 100 most powerful women. O'Donnell has also been named to ''Irish American Magazine's'' 2000 "Top 100 Irish Americans" list. O'Donnell won the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Breaking News Coverage for the ''

'' story "DC In Crisis," which aired on the night of

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

. She won an Emmy as part of

' Election Night coverage team in 2008 for the category Outstanding Live Coverage of a Breaking News Story – Long Form. She was also awarded an Emmy in 2018 for her six-month investigation and report on "Sexual Assault in the Air Force Academy" for ''

'' in the category Outstanding Investigative Report in a Newscast. That same year, this story was given an honorable mention from the

White House Correspondents' Association The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor t ...

for the

Edgar Allan Poe Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

References

External links

Official CBS News bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Norah American television reporters and correspondents American television news anchors 1974 births Living people CBS News people NBC News people American women television journalists Douglas MacArthur High School (San Antonio) alumni Georgetown University alumni American people of Irish descent People from San Antonio Journalists from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American journalists 21st-century American journalists Journalists from Texas 20th-century American women 21st-century American women