The Jamie Kern Lima Show/YouTube
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CBS' Norah O'Donnell is opening up about recent leadership changes at the network
The CBS News correspondent and 60 Minutes contributing correspondent said things have been "challenging"
"Not only for me, but I know for my colleagues," she said on The Jamie Kern Lima Show
Norah O'Donnellis sharing her thoughts on the current period ofupheaval at CBS News.
The CBS News correspondent and60 Minutescontributing correspondent, 52, spoke about the network's recent shake-up during a Tuesday, Feb. 17 interview onThe Jamie Kern Lima Show.
After host Jamie Kern Lima asked her about the "microscope" currently on CBS, O'Donnell — who appeared on the podcast to promote her new bookWe the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America— said things have been "challenging."
"You know, I have worked at CBS now for, oh my goodness, probably almost 14 years and have had a great career," O'Donnell said. "Whether it was covering the White House, anchoring the morning show, anchoring the evening news [or] working for60 Minutes. We have had a lot of leadership changes at CBS."
She added, "That has been challenging. Not only for me, but I know for my colleagues. And I think with so many leadership changes, people are fearful about what the future means."
High-profile exits and leadership changes have taken place at the network over the last several months amid the October appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Her new gig came after Paramount Skydance acquired her news and opinion site, The Free Press. Weiss, 41, remains editor of The Free Press while also overseeing CBS News.
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Weiss notably pulled a60 Minutessegment, titled "Inside CECOT,"in December 2025. The segment focused on Venezuelan men who were deported by theTrump administrationto a notorious El Salvador prison, and a veteran correspondent behind the story later claimed Weiss "spiked our story." She called the move "not an editorial decision" but "a political one," while a CBS News spokesperson wrote in an updated release that the story needed additional reporting. It aired on Jan. 18.
Among staffing changes at the network,60 Minutesexecutive producerBill Owensannounced his departure in April 2025, amid Paramount's legal battle with PresidentDonald Trump. At the time, the president had sued the showover the editing of a60 Minutesinterviewwith then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Paramount laterpaid $16 million to settle the lawsuitwithout an admission of wrongdoing.
Most recently,Anderson Cooperannounced hisdeparturefrom60 Minuteson Monday, Feb. 16, after nearly two decades as a correspondent. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the CNN anchor said the decision came down to family.
"Being a correspondent at60 Minuteshas been one of the great honors of my career. I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business," he said.
"For nearly 20 years, I've been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me."
Other changes at CBS includeTony Dokoupilbeing named anchor ofCBS Evening News. O'Donnell notably stepped down as anchor and managing editor ofCBS Evening Newsfollowing the 2024 presidential election. At the time, she said she was "fortunate to work with the best journalists and people in the business" and that it was "time to do something different."
Read the original article onPeople
