The Most Tragic Details About CBS News Anchor Norah O'Donnell's Life

Norah O'Donnell is an award-winning anchor with an impressive net worth to boot, but that doesn't mean she hasn't faced difficult moments. On the contrary, between anxiety brought on by a lack of work-life balance, a devastating diagnosis, and criticism from colleagues, O'Donnell has faced many ups and downs over the years. 

We'll start with O'Donnell's melanoma diagnosis in late 2016. The journalist first revealed that she'd been diagnosed with skin cancer in an Instagram post the following May, admitting in the caption that the news had "really scared the hell out of me." In an appearance on "CBS This Morning," she went into more detail, explaining that she'd gotten an urgent email from her doctor the day after Thanksgiving in 2016. O'Donnell said she told her parents about the email, and they assumed it was probably basal cell carcinoma, which several family members had been diagnosed with in the past. Devastatingly, though, when O'Donnell spoke to her doctor, she learned that it was melanoma, and that she'd need surgery as soon as possible. 

A few years later, O'Donnell spoke to NIH Medline Plus Magazine about the day she'd been diagnosed and revealed, "I admit, the first thing I did was cry." O'Donnell added that it was one of the most frightening moments of her life. "My diagnosis was the first time I confronted my own mortality. I think it was the first time my children did as well," she said. Of course, O'Donnell survived her diagnosis and has continued to enjoy spending time outdoors (albeit with a lot of sunscreen and protective clothing). Far from hiding her scary diagnosis, she's also used the experience to remind others to protect themselves and go for regular check-ups, telling NIH Medline Plus Magazine the oft-quoted (and true) saying, "Early detection saves lives."

Unfortunately for Norah O'Donnell, skin cancer wasn't the only major health scare she faced in the 2010s — she was also hospitalized for an emergency appendectomy in 2019. 

News of O'Donnell's surgery first broke after her husband, Geoff Tracy, shared pictures of her in the hospital on Instagram. "Love of my life got a bit of spring break surgery yesterday. Laparoscopic appendectomy ... By the way she played two hours of tennis with an appendicitis," he wrote in the caption. O'Donnell also shared snaps of herself in a hospital bed on her Instagram Stories, but shared a more specific update in a post a few days later. "I'm down an organ, but learned some valuable lessons this week. 1. Surgery is painful. I will never take a pain free day for granted again. 2. Be grateful for every day that you can move your body. 3. Listen to your body. If you are in pain, see a doctor. Don't wait 5 days like I did ignoring my pain," she wrote, before thanking her medical team for their care.

Sadly for the CBS star, not everyone took her post sharing the importance of seeking medical care ASAP at face value. Because the surgery took place amid reports of tension at the network — including accusations that O'Donnell was trying to push her way into a new position — one critic told the Daily Mail they believed, "She did it out of fear people would think she was left out of the Mueller coverage on purpose." Given that O'Donnell had hinted in her post that she might not be up for returning to New York City for work, we think it's more likely she wanted viewers to know why that was. 

Norah O'Donnell has been the subject of several damaging rumors over the years, and some may recall a time when several outlets ran stories claiming O'Donnell's behavior at CBS was messy. 

One claim against O'Donnell was that she made her colleagues anxious. Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2019, one insider claimed, "She doesn't treat people well." Another source alleged, "People live in fear around Norah." Speaking to Page Six a few days later, another insider called O'Donnell "toxic" and even claimed that her "CBS This Morning" colleague Gayle King was in negotiations demanding she be moved to another show. Of course, many may remember that O'Donnell and King made a point of putting the feud rumors to rest. Speaking about the situation on an episode of "CBS This Morning," King denied that either one of them wanted to oust the other, and mused that the entire situation was a sexist tale as old as time. O'Donnell agreed, before quipping, "I know you have Oprah, but I want to thank you for being my work BFF. You have made me better in everything I have done" (via X). 

Unfortunately for O'Donnell, some of the rumors persisted, and in 2022, she was once again at the center of claims that her reputation within CBS had soured. This time, the New York Post published commentary from sources who slammed her for an extravagant clothing allowance and being overly particular about her makeup. Both CBS News' co-president and O'Donnell's publicist rubbished the claims, calling them misogynistic. O'Donnell's publicist also noted of the clothing allowance, "Every news anchor has one." 

There's no question that Norah O'Donnell has been incredibly successful in her career — several Emmy nominations are nothing to sniff at, nor are her high-profile interviews with the likes of the late Pope Francis. O'Donnell has also spoken about how fulfilled she feels by her career, telling Elle, "It's a privilege to have a front row seat to history." Even so, she told the outlet that there were some pitfalls to her career. 

"While I thoroughly enjoy it, because I love the news and am insatiably curious about what's happening in the world, it's also hard. We get the call, we move ... it is sometimes anxiety-provoking," O'Donnell told Elle. She added that while most journalists prefer not to discuss how their calling impacted their personal lives and mental health, "I am open about saying it has led me to therapy."

In the same interview, O'Donnell also hinted that her career sometimes has a not-so-great impact on her home life. Telling the outlet that she'd stepped away from her email inbox completely for two full weeks over the Christmas 2024 period (and that it had been the first time she'd ever done so), she joked, "I did say, 'If something breaks out in the world, I cannot leave or else my husband will divorce me." That's not to say O'Donnell's husband hasn't been incredibly supportive of her career, though. Au contraire, she'd gushed over him in a 2021 interview with Woman's World, sharing that Geoff Tracy — who is a chef for a living — surprised her with having dinner on the table by the time she got home on longer, more trying days. "Having a partner who makes you laugh and who is supportive means everything," she told the outlet. 

Though Norah O'Donnell stepped down as full-time anchor of CBS Evening News at the start of 2025, she continued to work as a senior correspondent for the network. She also remained a contributor on "60 Minutes" and, in October 2025, interviewed Donald Trump for the program. 

Unfortunately, not everyone was impressed. Megyn Kelly was particularly vocal in her dislike of the interview — and of O'Donnell herself. "You're annoying. Isn't she annoying? She's so annoying ... doesn't it give you a headache?" she complained on "The Megyn Kelly Show," suggesting that O'Donnell was trying too hard to seem impartial. Kelly wasn't the only one with a strong opinion of O'Donnell's interview, though. Joy Reid was also very critical, lamenting on Bluesky, "Tuned in to the @60minutes Trump interview with low expectations, and I haven't [been] surprised. Norah let Trump lie and lie with barely any pushback or provision of corrective facts. Where is the Aussie guy from @axios when we need him?" Granted, not everyone found the interview quite so bad. In fact, discussing Reid's response on The Hill's "Rising," Robby Soave quipped in part, "I thought it was a fine interview ... They asked a wide range of questions, there was pushback ... Norah wasn't trying to talk over him and interrupt him and correct him all the times ... She pushed back in a variety of ways." Likewise, Lindsey Granger agreed that overall she found it "modestly down the middle." 

O'Donnell hasn't replied to the criticism herself. However, considering she once credited Oprah Winfrey with advice to keep her chin up, something tells us she may have put that to good use. The advice in question? "It's not the critic who counts" (via X).