Norah O’Donnell Biography: Age, Height, Husband, CBS Mornings, 60 Minutes, New Book & Facts

Norah O’Donnell is an American television journalist, bestselling author, and one of the most accomplished news anchors of her generation. With nearly three decades in broadcast journalism, she has anchored every major CBS News program, interviewed every living U.S. president, and become the only woman to simultaneously serve as a network evening news anchor and a 60 Minutes correspondent. In 2026, she enters a bold new chapter—returning to morning television as co-anchor of CBS Mornings, publishing a New York Times bestselling book on forgotten women in American history, and stepping into a full-time correspondent role at 60 Minutes.

Quick Facts

Related personalities: Gayle King (CBS Mornings), Nate Burleson (CBS Mornings), Tony Dokoupil (CBS Evening News), Scott Pelley (60 Minutes), Lesley Stahl (60 Minutes), Pope Francis, President Joe Biden, President Barack Obama.

Early Life & Education

Norah Morahan O’Donnell was born on January 23, 1974, in Washington, D.C., to Noreen Bernadette (O’Kane) and Francis Lawrence O’Donnell, a medical doctor and U.S. Army officer. Her parents are both of Irish descent, with family roots in Derry, Belfast, and County 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.

Because of her father’s military career, O’Donnell’s childhood was peripatetic. When she was three, the family moved to San Antonio, Texas. At age 10, they relocated to Seoul, South Korea, where they lived on Yongsan Garrison for two years. It was there that she had her first taste of broadcasting, giving videotaped English lessons for the Korean Educational Development Institute while still in elementary school.

The family eventually returned to San Antonio, where O’Donnell attended Douglas MacArthur High School and graduated in 1991. She then enrolled at Georgetown University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1995 and a Master of Arts in liberal studies in 2003.

Career Journey

NBC and MSNBC: Rising Through the Ranks (1999–2011)

O’Donnell launched her professional journalism career in 1999 at age 25, joining NBC News as a Washington Bureau correspondent. Over the next 12 years, she held multiple roles across NBC and MSNBC, including rotating news anchor for Weekend Today, fill-in anchor for MSNBC Live, contributing correspondent for Dateline NBC, and eventually NBC News White House correspondent. In 2005, she was promoted to MSNBC Chief White House correspondent, a position she held until her departure in 2011. During this period, she covered the George W. Bush and early Barack Obama administrations, establishing herself as a formidable political reporter.

CBS News: Chief White House Correspondent and Morning Anchor (2011–2019)

O’Donnell jumped to CBS News in 2011 as chief White House correspondent. She quickly became a fixture across the network, filling in for Scott Pelley on the CBS Evening News as early as October 2011. In the fall of 2012, she was named co-anchor of CBS This Morning alongside Charlie Rose and Gayle King, a role she held for nearly seven years. Her final broadcast of the morning show was on May 16, 2019.

CBS Evening News: Making History (2019–2025)

On May 6, 2019, CBS News president Susan Zirinsky announced that O’Donnell would become anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News, effective July 15, 2019. She became only the third woman—after Connie Chung and Katie Couric—to serve as the program’s weeknight anchor. Uniquely, she anchored from Washington, D.C., making her the only network evening news anchor based in the nation’s capital.

During her tenure, O’Donnell conducted major interviews with President Joe Biden, Vice President Mike Pence, General Mark Milley, Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. She was the first American journalist to travel to the Red Sea to report on rising Middle East tensions and the first anchor to visit Maui after the deadliest U.S. wildfires in over a century. In May 2024, she conducted a historic interview with Pope Francis at the Vatican for 60 Minutes, which made global headlines for the Pope’s comments on surrogacy, gay marriage, and female priests.

In July 2024, O’Donnell announced she would step down as anchor of CBS Evening News following the 2024 presidential election. She signed off for the final time on January 23, 2025.

60 Minutes and the Return to Mornings (2025–2026)

After leaving the evening broadcast, O’Donnell transitioned to a senior correspondent role at CBS News while continuing as a contributing correspondent for 60 Minutes. In July 2026, 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton announced that O’Donnell had been promoted to full-time correspondent for the broadcast.

Then, on September 3, 2026, CBS announced a major move: O’Donnell would return to morning television as Co-Anchor of CBS Mornings, joining Gayle King and Nate Burleson starting September 8, 2026. The move reunited her with King, whom she had previously co-anchored alongside on CBS This Morning from 2012 to 2019.

Bestselling Author: We the Women (2026)

In February 2026, O’Donnell published her first book, We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, co-written with Kate Andersen Brower and published by Ballantine Books. The book explores the overlooked stories of women who fought for freedom and equality throughout American history, from suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to figures like Mary Katherine Goddard (the only woman whose name appears on the Declaration of Independence) and Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor). The book became a New York Times bestseller.

Career Stats

Television:

• Weekend Today (NBC, 1999–2011) – Rotating anchor
• MSNBC Live (1999–2011) – Fill-in anchor
• Dateline NBC (2000–2011) – Contributing correspondent
• NBC Nightly News (2003–2011) – White House correspondent
• CBS This Morning (2012–2019) – Co-anchor
• CBS Evening News (2019–2025) – Anchor and managing editor
• Face the Nation (2011–present) – Substitute host
• 60 Minutes (2013–present) – Contributing correspondent, promoted to full-time correspondent (July 2026)
• CBS Mornings (2026–present) – Co-anchor (from September 8, 2026)

Notable Interviews:

• Pope Francis (May 2024, Vatican City)
• President Joe Biden
• President Barack Obama
• Vice President Mike Pence
• Oprah Winfrey
• Dolly Parton
• General Mark Milley
• Governor Ron DeSantis
• Nikki Haley

Books:

• We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America (2026) – New York Times bestseller

Personal Life

Family Background

O’Donnell was born into a military family that valued education, service, and resilience. Her father, Dr. Francis Lawrence O’Donnell, served as a U.S. Army officer while practicing medicine. Her mother, Noreen Bernadette, provided the Irish-Catholic foundation that would shape O’Donnell’s worldview. Growing up across multiple continents gave her a global perspective from an early age.

Marriage to Geoff Tracy

O’Donnell met her future husband, Geoff Tracy, when they were both freshmen at Georgetown University. Their meet-cute happened in the cafeteria line, and their first “date” of sorts occurred on October 4, 1991, at The Dubliner bar in Washington, D.C., where Tracy fake-proposed to O’Donnell to ward off a creepy older man hitting on her.

The couple married on June 9, 2001, in Georgetown’s Dahlgren Chapel. Tracy, known professionally as “Chef Geoff,” is a successful restaurateur from New York City who runs Chef Geoff’s in Washington, D.C., with additional locations in downtown D.C. and Maryland. The couple published a parenting cookbook together in 2010 titled Baby Love: Healthy, Easy, Delicious Meals for Your Baby and Toddler.

In 2023, the couple celebrated over 20 years of marriage. They split their time between Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Children

O’Donnell and Tracy have three children:

• Grace Tracy (twin, born May 20, 2007)
• Henry Tracy (twin, born May 20, 2007)
• Riley Norah Tracy (born July 5, 2008)

O’Donnell has been open about the challenges of balancing a demanding broadcast journalism career with motherhood. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she often worked from home while managing her children’s remote schooling.

Health

In 2017, O’Donnell publicly shared her experience with melanoma after being diagnosed with the skin cancer. She has since been an advocate for skin cancer awareness and regular dermatological checkups.

Controversies

Norah O’Donnell has maintained a largely controversy-free career, built on journalistic integrity and professionalism. However, she has navigated significant industry turbulence:

Salary Reduction at CBS: In 2022, O’Donnell’s salary was reportedly slashed from $8 million to approximately $3.8 million as part of cost-cutting measures at CBS News, according to the New York Post. Despite the pay cut, she remained in the anchor chair through the 2024 election.

Evening News Ratings Struggles: During her tenure, CBS Evening News consistently trailed ABC World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News in the ratings, a challenge that predated her arrival and continued despite her high-profile interviews and reporting.

Return Speculation: In October 2025, reports surfaced that new CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss had considered O’Donnell to return as anchor of CBS Evening News, but Tony Dokoupil was ultimately selected for the role instead.

Awards & Achievements

• Multiple Emmy Awards – For breaking news coverage and investigative journalism
• Sigma Delta Chi Award – Breaking News Coverage for contributions to CBS News’ coverage of George Floyd and the forces of change
• Alfred I. DuPont Award – As part of the CBS News team for coverage of the 2012 Newtown massacre
• Gracie Awards – Outstanding News Anchor (2020); Best National News On-Air Talent (2018, 2016)
• Merriman Smith Memorial Award – Excellence in presidential news coverage for her exclusive 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden on his decision not to run for president in 2016
• Named one of Washington’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Washingtonian Magazine (2021)
• New York Times Bestselling Author – We the Women (2026)
• Has interviewed every living U.S. President
• Has reported from every continent except Antarctica

Physical Statistics

Quotes

“We the People,” is the phrase that begins the U.S. Constitution, and it is meant to remind us all that the authority of our government comes directly from all of its citizens; that our government is by and for the people. This book is titled, “We the Women,” as a reminder of the shared struggle, the collective fight, by women and for women, to make sure that our government recognizes all of its citizens.
— From We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, 2026

“Georgetown is a huge part of our identity. Washington, DC, became our home because of Georgetown University.”
— On her life with husband Geoff Tracy, 2023

“It was meant to be to meet each other there.”
— On meeting Geoff Tracy at Georgetown, 2023

Favorites

Earnings

As of 2026, Norah O’Donnell’s estimated net worth is approximately $22 million. Her income sources include:

• CBS News salary: Previously $8 million annually, reduced to approximately $3.8 million in 2022; current salary as CBS Mornings co-anchor and 60 Minutes correspondent undisclosed
• Book royalties: We the Women (2026), a New York Times bestseller
• Speaking engagements: Commanding significant fees through speaker bureaus
• Restaurant investments: Through husband Geoff Tracy’s Chef Geoff’s restaurant group

Interesting Facts

• O’Donnell started her broadcasting career at age 10 in Seoul, South Korea, giving videotaped English lessons.
• She is the only woman to have anchored a network evening news broadcast while also serving as a 60 Minutes correspondent.
• She has interviewed every living U.S. president.
• She has reported from every continent except Antarctica.
• Her maternal grandfather lived in the U.S. illegally for 16 years.
• She and Geoff Tracy’s first “engagement” was a fake proposal at a D.C. bar to scare off a creepy older man.
• She is a trustee of her alma mater, Georgetown University.
• She sits on the board of directors of the International Women’s Media Foundation.
• Her daughter Riley’s middle name, Norah, is in honor of her mother.
• She returned to CBS Mornings in September 2026, reuniting with Gayle King after seven years apart.

Did You Know Already?

• Norah O’Donnell was the third woman to anchor CBS Evening News, following Connie Chung and Katie Couric.
• She conducted the first-ever papal interview for an American journalist with Pope Francis in May 2024.
• Her book We the Women became a New York Times bestseller upon its February 2026 release.
• She was promoted to full-time 60 Minutes correspondent in July 2026 before being named co-anchor of CBS Mornings.
• She and her husband published a parenting cookbook in 2010 called Baby Love.
• She grew up in San Antonio, Texas; Seoul, South Korea; Landstuhl, Germany; and Washington, D.C.

Social Media Links

• Instagram: @norahodonnell
• Twitter/X: @NorahODonnell
• Facebook: @norahodonnell
• CBS News Bio: Official Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Norah O’Donnell’s career is a testament to perseverance, versatility, and journalistic excellence. From her childhood giving English lessons in Seoul to anchoring the CBS Evening News from Washington, D.C., to becoming a New York Times bestselling author and returning to morning television, she has consistently broken barriers while maintaining the highest standards of broadcast journalism. In 2026, as she takes the helm at CBS Mornings alongside Gayle King and Nate Burleson, and continues her work at 60 Minutes, O’Donnell proves that reinvention is not just possible—it is the mark of a true professional.

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