Many people wonder if Kelly O’Donnell and Norah O’Donnell are related, since they share the same last name and work in the same field of journalism. However, the truth is that they are not related by blood or marriage, and their similarities are just a coincidence. Here is what you need to know about these two prominent reporters and their backgrounds.
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Kelly O’Donnell: A Veteran Political Reporter for NBC News
Kelly O’Donnell was born on May 17, 1965, in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree, focusing on journalism and public policy. She started her career as a reporter and anchor at WJW TV in Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1990s
She joined NBC News in 1994 and has since covered a wide range of stories, including the September 11 attacks, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the Oklahoma City bombing, the O. J. Simpson trial, the travels and death of Pope John Paul II, and several Olympic games. She has also reported on the Bush administration, Congress, and several presidential campaigns. She was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division during the Iraq war, stationed in Baghdad and Qatar
She currently serves as a political reporter for NBC News as White House and Capitol Hill correspondent. She appears on NBC Nightly News, Today, Meet The Press, and MSNBC. She has received many honors, including Emmy awards, a National Headliner award, a New Hampshire Primary Award for Political Reporting, and Los Angeles Press Club awards. She was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Ohio Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2021, she was elected president of the White House Correspondents’ Association for 2023–2024
She is married to J. David Ake, who is also a journalist and works as an assistant chief of bureau for photos at The Associated Press. They have no children together
Norah O’Donnell: The Anchor of CBS Evening News
Norah O’Donnell was born on January 23, 1974, in Washington, D.C. She is the daughter of 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 roots in Derry, Belfast, and Donegal. Three of her grandparents were immigrants, and her maternal grandfather lived in the U.S. illegally for 16 years
She moved to San Antonio, Texas when she was three years old. When she was 10 years old, she lived in Seoul for two years as her father was assigned to work there. She started her career in broadcasting by giving videotaped English lessons for the Korean Educational Development Institute. She graduated from Douglas MacArthur High School in San Antonio in 1991. She then attended Georgetown University, where she graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and a Master of Arts degree in liberal studies in 2003
She worked as a staff writer for Roll Call, where she covered Congress. She spent twelve years of her career at the NBC networks as a commentator for the Today Show, Chief Washington Correspondent for MSNBC, and a White House correspondent for NBC News. She also reported for various NBC News broadcasts, including NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, Dateline NBC, and MSNBC. She filled in for Chris Matthews as host of Hardball with Chris Matthews and was a regular pundit for The Chris Matthews Show
She joined CBS News in 2011 as chief White House correspondent and became a co-anchor on CBS This Morning in fall of 2012. In 2019, she was named anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News , becoming only the third woman to solo anchor an evening newscast on one of the three major broadcast networks (after Katie Couric on CBS Evening News from 2006 to 2011 and Diane Sawyer on ABC World News from 2009 to 2014). She is also a correspondent for 60 Minutes , and current host of Person to Person . She is the lead anchor of political events for CBS News and has covered several presidential elections and inaugurations
She is married to Geoff Tracy , who is a restaurateur and owns several restaurants in Washington D.C., Maryland ,and Virginia . They have three children together: twins Grace and Henry (born in 2007) and daughter Riley (born in 2008)
Conclusion: No Relation, Just Respect
Kelly O’Donnell and Norah O’Donnell are not related, but they are both respected journalists who have achieved success in their careers. They have different backgrounds, personalities, and styles, but they share a common passion for reporting the news and informing the public. They may not be sisters, but they are certainly peers in the field of journalism.
