Norah O'Donnell is back on the morning shift.
The television journalist and longtime CBS host made her official return to "CBS Mornings" on Tuesday, Sept. 8. O'Donnell, 52, previously co-anchored the morning talk show from 2012 to 2019, before moving over to "CBS Evening News" for a six-year stint.
"Thank you for having me back, and it's great to be here," O'Donnell said alongside co-anchors Gayle King and Nate Burleson. "I'm thrilled about what is an exciting show ahead and a big week ahead, too."
King jokingly embraced her colleague's return by singing a line from Dolly Parton's 1977 hit "Here You Come Again," telling O'Donnell, "Here you come again / lookin' better than a body has a right to."
Welcome back, @NorahODonnell! 🌞 pic.twitter.com/AxXfq0B64i
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) September 8, 2026
"Norah and I have history, so we are ready to go," King, 71, said. "We got this, Norah. We got this, Nate."
Burleson also shared his excitement for O'Donnell's return. "We're going to make this next chapter our best chapter here on 'CBS Mornings,' that's for sure," he told the Emmy-winning journalist. "And you're going to be a big part of that."
With her return to the desk, O'Donnell fills the third seat left vacant by Tony Dokoupil, who departed the morning show last December to anchor "CBS Evening News."
The anchor's comeback follows an effort by CBS executives to increase program ratings. A recent Nielsen report showed that viewership has dropped by 9% since the year-earlier period to about 1.7 million, according to Variety. This means the show trails behind competitors like the "Today" show and "Good Morning America," who bring in nearly 3 million viewers and have seen an increase in viewership.
While at CBS, O'Donnell has interviewed every living president, along with notable figures like Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton, Benjamin Netanyahu and Hillary Clinton. During her tenure on "CBS Evening News," O'Donnell made history as the third solo female anchor of a network evening newscast, following in the footsteps of ABC's Diane Sawyer and former CBS anchor Katie Couric.
In addition to her work on CBS, O'Donnell serves as a contributor on the newsmagazine program "60 Minutes" and hosts the wellness podcast "Healthful."
"CBS Mornings" producer Jon Tower previously described O'Donnell's return as a "homecoming" and praised the journalist's yearslong rapport with King.
"They have a friendship and chemistry that extends beyond the studio," Tower said in a Sept. 3 memo to staffers. "They know each other, respect each other, and − maybe most importantly − genuinely enjoy each other. To put it simply, I can't think of a team I'd rather watch navigate the news than Gayle, Nate and Norah."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Norah O'Donnell returns to 'CBS Mornings' with first appearance
