Norah O’Donnell’s Attitude Questioned at ‘CBS Evening News’

“CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell is in third place in the ratings, but NY Post is reporting sources at the network gripe that she’s got a first-class attitude — even as she faces getting sidelined by her sharp-elbowed, bean-counting boss, reports The NY Post.

CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani — who has been slashing costs in a bid to make the network profitable — is eyeing O’Donnell, who reportedly makes between $6 million and $8 million a year, and whose contract is set to expire this spring.

Accusations that Khemlani wanted to replace O'Donnell first rose last year at which time he said there were no plans for staffing changes. Khemlani has not commented on the most recent replacement rumors. However, he did say Friday: 'We support Norah and the Evening News team and the quality journalism they deliver each and every night'.

“The next big decision from him is revamping the ‘Evening News,’” said a CBS insider, who explained that the network can find a cheaper alternative to be last in the ratings.

“It’s not a money maker,” a second source said, adding that O’Donnell’s “toxic behavior” is weighing the show down.

Speculation that her days are numbered has surged since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war. O’Donnell is the only evening TV news anchor who isn’t in Eastern Europe, which has taken a toll on ratings.

For the week of Feb. 28, CBS’ total viewers sank to less than 5.1 million, trailing NBC’s 7.4 million and ABC’s 8.8 million, Nielsen said. Prior to the war, O’Donnell was reaching around 5.6 million to 5.3 million viewers a night.

Tony Dokoupil

“David Muir, Lester Holt and Anderson Cooper are all in Ukraine. Where’s Norah? We are in the middle of a war and she’s reporting from Washington, DC,” said a source. “Either she didn’t want to go or leadership didn’t want her to go. It’s bad either way.”

Meanwhile, “CBS Mornings” anchor Tony Dokoupil, rumored as a possible successor to O’Donnell, has been reporting from Poland and appearing on her show nightly. Sources said O’Donnell is finally being sent to Poland this weekend and will report from there on Monday, but some insiders say “it’s too late.”

The 48-year-old anchor’s routine includes a full “dress rehearsal” of the “Evening News” half an hour before the show airs — an often tense ritual that has seen O’Donnell chewing out dressing room stylists over her hair and makeup, sources said.

“She’s a news actress,” another insider said, noting that the dress rehearsals are “very unusual” for news broadcasts — especially for an anchor who’s three years into a job. A third added that the show’s producers use the quirky routine as a way to coach the “robotic” O’Donnell and “make her look more human,” by critiquing how she delivers the news and reads from the teleprompter.

Some of O’Donnell’s staffers in DC won’t miss her while she’s gone. Insiders said O’Donnell has a $65,000-a-year wardrobe allowance and she is particular about which designers she wears.