Nora O'Donnell's Star May be Rising At CBS News

Nora O'Donnell

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is seriously considering Norah O'Donnell for an expanded role on 60 Minutes following Anderson Cooper's decision to step away from a proposed larger presence on the iconic program.

According to a report from Oliver Darcy's Status newsletter, Weiss had initially pushed to give Cooper a bigger footprint on 60 Minutes as part of contract renewal talks. Cooper declined, opting to exit his correspondent role entirely after two decades, reportedly uncomfortable with the network's perceived "rightward direction" under Weiss.

With that slot open, sources familiar with the discussions told Status that Weiss is now turning her attention to Norah O'Donnell, a longtime CBS News senior correspondent and current 60 Minutes contributing contributor (since 2013). The potential expansion would give O'Donnell more frequent reporting pieces and a higher-profile position on the Sunday broadcast, marking a significant career rebound.

O'Donnell, 52, was previously a major on-air figure at CBS: She co-anchored CBS This Morning (now CBS Mornings) from 2012-2019 and later anchored CBS Evening News until early 2025, when she stepped aside amid leadership shifts (including Tony Dokoupil's promotion to evening anchor). Under prior management, she had been largely sidelined from major anchoring duties but remained active with 60 Minutes segments and other contributions.

Insiders indicate O'Donnell has actively shown support for Weiss's vision, and that internal politicking may be yielding results. As a sign of rising favor, O'Donnell is set to guest host CBS Mornings this week (February 23-25, 2026, per reports from the New York Post and others), while in New York promoting her new book, We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America (co-authored with Kate Andersen Brower).