Norah O’Donnell appeared alongside CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King for the first time in six years on Tuesday morning, and the pair struggled to convince viewers of the “chemistry” the network has been hoping to sell.
O’Donnell, whose return to the show was met by angry comments from fans who felt that she’d sold out for MAGA-friendly new CBS News head Bari Weiss, first left her role as CBS Mornings co-anchor in 2019 to take over the Evening News desk.
Following her exit from that show last year, CBS announced that she would return to the Mornings show, which is co-hosted by her rumored “frenemy,” King—according to an internal email obtained by the New York Post. The frostiness seemed apparent as King and fellow co-host Nate Burleson welcomed her back on Tuesday.
“I feel like that Dolly Parton song, Nate,” King told Burleson as the subject of O’Donnell’s return came up. “They go, ‘Here you come again / Looking better than a body has a right to,’” King sang, as O’Donnell tepidly clapped along. She added, “But here we go, Norah.”
O’Donnell took the compliment, “Awww, thank you. Well, we love Dolly Parton,” in an attempt to segue out of the moment.
King pressed, “How are you feeling today?”
“I’m feeling great. Thank you for having me back, you know, and it’s great to be here,” she replied.
Added Burleson, “Welcome back. We’re excited.”
O’Donnell claimed she was “thrilled about what is an exciting show ahead” and “an exciting week ahead.”
King added only, “And a big week ahead, too.”
Burleson jumped in again to ease the clunky exchange. “Listen, we’re gonna make this next chapter our best chapter here on CBS Mornings,” he said. “You’re gonna be a big part of that.”
King interjected, “Yeah, Norah and I have history.”
“We do,” O’Donnell added.
“So, we got this, Norah,” King said, unconvincingly.
The strange exchange continued when producers displayed on-screen what appeared to be a surprise throwback photo from the anchors’ time hosting the show together from 2012 to 2019. King looked less than pleased, saying “Oh wow, OK,” as the photo appeared. “I think we look cuter now,” she added.
O’Donnell told her, “I think we do. We’re like a fine wine.”
“Here we go,” King said, looking down at her lap and then up again. “We are so ready for this.”
The chemistry-free intro follows O’Donnell’s plea to fans on Instagram, who argued she was bending the knee by returning to the morning show. “Just watch the show,” she wrote back in the comments, calling the gripes “silly.”
It also followed CBS Mornings producer Jon Tower’s insistence that King and O’Donnell “have a friendship and chemistry that extends beyond the studio.”
