After three decades of hosting “Inside Edition,” Deborah Norville bid farewell to viewers one last time.
The longtime anchor hosted her final episode May 21, where she thanked her Los Angeles colleagues for their immense work ethic and fans for welcoming her into their homes for all these years.
“I am literally swimming in gratitude,” Norville said. “I’ve stayed this long because you welcomed me and the stories that we tell. I know inside has been a companion to many of you, and you’ve told me that you’ll miss our daily visits. I’m going to miss them too.”
The 66-year-old former “Today” show co-anchor recalled a negative experience at her first television job where a woman told her she didn’t belong in the industry, adding “I have spent the last 47 years trying to prove her wrong.”
“And so my thought is this, believe in yourself when it seems no one else does, because you may be amazed where that confidence will take you,” she said in her closing remarks. “Thank you all. Thank you so much. That’s ‘Inside Edition.’ Bye bye.”
“Inside Edition” also included an overwhelming number of filmed tributes from stars, including Kathy Bates, Drew Barrymore, Cedric The Entertainer, Morris Chestnut and more.
“I can’t believe it but you know what whatever you’re doing god’s speed and it’s going to be glamorous, beautiful and amazing. I love you and thank you for coming to my home all these years,” “Big Brother” host Julie Chen said. “Big kiss and I’ll see you at the hair salon.”
Watch Deborah Norville’s final remarks on ‘Inside Edition’
When did Deborah Norville join ‘Inside Edition’?
Norville first joined “Inside Edition” in 1995 after leaving CBS News, where she served as both anchor and correspondent. Before that, she was a co-anchor of NBC’s “Today.”
The Georgia-born on-air personality first started her career at FOX 5 Atlanta after graduating from the University of Georgia in Athens.
“Twice before, I made career moves for personal reasons (Chicago to NBC News in NY, CBS News to Inside Edition) and they were the right decisions,” she wrote on an April 2 Instagram post. “This decision is also motivated by family … and I know it’s a good one. There’s lots more to come from me … just from a new place.”
Deborah Norville publicly battled cancer on TV
Norville’s time on the program has been full of ups and downs, including her public cancer journey in 2019.
In a video announcement in April 2019, Norville said she would undergo surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid nodule first pointed out by a viewer.
“We live in a world of see something, say something, and I’m really glad we do,” she said in a video announcement posted on the show’s official YouTube channel. “When you work on television, viewers comment on everything. Your hair, your makeup, the dress you’re wearing. And a long time ago, an ‘Inside Edition’ viewer reached out to say she’d seen something on my neck. It was a lump. Well, I’d never noticed the thing, but I did have it checked out and the doctor said it was nothing, a thyroid nodule … until recently, it was something.”
Contributing: Cydney Henderson and Maeve McDermott, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deborah Norville exits ‘Inside Edition’: See last words
