Jane Pauley remains one of the most recognizable faces in American television journalism. After more than five decades in broadcasting, she is still active as the anchor of CBS News’ Sunday Morning, where she continues to interview notable figures and introduce stories covering culture, history, science, society, and everyday life.
Her career has included some of television’s most important news programs. She became nationally known as a young co-anchor of NBC’s Today, later helped launch Dateline NBC, hosted The Jane Pauley Show, and eventually became the third anchor of CBS News Sunday Morning. CBS News continues to list her as the program’s anchor, and recent 2026 broadcasts show her actively hosting new episodes.
But what is she doing today, how old is she, what happened to her career after NBC, and what is known about her husband, children, books, and personal life? Here is a closer look.
Quick Facts About Jane Pauley
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Margaret Jane Pauley |
| Known professionally as | Jane Pauley |
| Born | October 31, 1950 |
| Birthplace | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Age in September 2026 | 75 |
| Profession | Journalist, television anchor, author |
| Current role | Anchor of CBS News’ Sunday Morning |
| Best known for | Today, Dateline NBC, CBS News Sunday Morning |
| Husband | Garry Trudeau |
| Children | Three grown children |
| Education | Indiana University |
| Notable books | Skywriting and Your Life Calling |
| Major 2024 honor | National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award |
| Major 2025 honor | Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism |
Who Is Jane Pauley?
Jane Pauley is an American television journalist, anchor, author, and longtime broadcast personality. Born Margaret Jane Pauley, she grew up in Indianapolis and developed an interest in news at an early age.
Poynter reported in 2025 that newspapers and broadcast news were a regular part of her childhood. She later attended Indiana University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science before beginning her television career.
Her rise was unusually fast. She entered broadcasting at a time when women were still breaking barriers in television news, and she eventually became one of the most familiar anchors in the United States.
Today, she is best known for her long-running association with CBS News Sunday Morning, but her career stretches well beyond that single program.
Early Life and Background
Jane Pauley was born on October 31, 1950, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Poynter describes her as the younger of two daughters and notes that her mother worked as a church organist while her father worked in food distribution.
News played an important role in her home. She has recalled her father collecting newspapers and following major events closely, creating an environment in which current affairs were simply part of everyday family life.
After graduating from Indiana University, she entered television without a formal journalism degree. Her first important broadcasting opportunity came at WISH-TV in Indianapolis. Poynter reported that she was hired despite having little television experience at the time.
That first opportunity eventually opened the door to national television.
Her Age and Physical Features
Jane Pauley is 75 years old as of September 24, 2026, and will turn 76 on October 31, 2026.
Public biographical databases commonly list her height at approximately 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 meters). Height information for television personalities can vary slightly between sources, so it is best treated as a commonly reported figure rather than an official CBS specification.
What stands out most about her public appearance, however, is the consistency of her professional style. Throughout her career, she has maintained a polished but approachable television presence that fits both hard-news interviews and softer human-interest stories.
Career and Major Achievements
Jane Pauley’s career began in local broadcasting but quickly moved onto the national stage. Her breakthrough came in 1976, when she became a co-anchor of NBC’s Today at just 25 years old.
CBS News says she hosted Today from 1976 to 1989. She initially worked with Tom Brokaw and later Bryant Gumbel, becoming a prominent figure in American morning television.
Her career expanded again in the 1990s when she became a co-founding anchor of Dateline NBC. She remained connected with the newsmagazine for more than a decade before taking on additional television projects, including The Jane Pauley Show.
Another major milestone came in 2014, when she joined CBS News Sunday Morning as a contributor. In 2016, she became the program’s third anchor, following Charles Kuralt and Charles Osgood.
Her CBS career has included high-profile interviews with figures such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, David Letterman, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and others. CBS News continues to identify her as the anchor of Sunday Morning.
What Is Jane Pauley Doing Today?
As of September 2026, she remains actively involved with CBS News Sunday Morning. Recent CBS broadcasts from June, August, and September 2026 identify her as the program’s host. The September 20, 2026 edition, for example, was hosted by Pauley and included coverage ranging from sports betting to major national and international issues.
This means there is no indication that she has stepped away from the anchor position. Instead, she continues to appear regularly on one of America’s longest-running Sunday morning news programs.
Awards and Major Recognition
Over her long career, Jane Pauley has received numerous honors. CBS News lists multiple Emmy Awards, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Edward R. Murrow Award for Outstanding Achievement, and the Gracie Allen Award among her distinctions. She is also a member of the Broadcast and Cable Hall of Fame.
In 2024, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards. The recognition reflected a broadcasting career that had already lasted more than five decades.
Her recognition continued in 2025, when the Poynter Institute awarded her the Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism. She received the award at Poynter’s Bowtie Ball in Tampa in November 2025.
Relationship With Garry Trudeau
Jane Pauley’s most prominent personal relationship is with Garry Trudeau, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and creator of Doonesbury.
The couple married in 1980 and have remained together for more than four decades. Trudeau has also received major recognition for his work, and Poynter honored him with a Distinguished Service to Journalism Award at the same 2025 event where Pauley received her lifetime achievement medal.
Their relationship has brought together two influential figures from different corners of American media: broadcast journalism and political cartooning.
Marriage and Family Life
Jane Pauley and Garry Trudeau are parents to three grown children. CBS News confirms that the couple have three children, although the family has generally maintained a relatively private public profile.
Pauley has occasionally discussed family and parenting when reflecting on her long career. At Poynter’s 2025 event, she spoke about how she thinks about success and the importance of having the courage to try different things.
Her family life has therefore remained an important part of her story without becoming the main focus of her public career.
Social Media Presence
Unlike many younger television personalities, Jane Pauley has not built her public identity around frequent personal social-media posting.
Her current professional presence is primarily connected with CBS News and Sunday Morning. The network regularly features her work and interviews, making CBS News the most reliable place to follow her current television activities. (CBS News)
Readers should be cautious with social-media accounts claiming to represent public figures unless the account is clearly verified or connected to an established media organization.
Personality and Interests
One of the recurring descriptions of Jane Pauley is that she combines professionalism with warmth. Poynter’s reporting on her 2025 lifetime achievement award described her career as being marked by a thoughtful and personable approach to journalism.
Outside the newsroom, she has a strong interest in books, current events, storytelling, and journalism itself. Poynter reported that reading the newspaper remains part of her morning routine.
Her work also shows a longstanding interest in people and their personal stories. That is especially visible in Sunday Morning, where interviews and human-interest features are central to the program.
Mental Health Advocacy and Books
Another important part of her public life has been her work around mental health awareness.
In her 2004 memoir, Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue, Pauley discussed her experience with bipolar disorder and the effect it had on her life. Her openness helped make mental health a visible part of her public story.
She later published Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life in 2014. The book focuses on reinvention and people finding new interests, careers, and purposes later in life.
CBS News identifies both books as New York Times bestsellers and describes Pauley as a longtime advocate for mental health awareness and treatment.
Net Worth and Income
There is no reliably verified public figure for Jane Pauley’s current net worth or annual income.
Various entertainment and celebrity websites publish estimated net-worth numbers, but these figures are generally not supported by financial statements, tax records, or verified disclosures. For that reason, a specific dollar amount would be speculation rather than a documented fact.
Her long television career has included prominent network roles at NBC and CBS, along with book royalties and other professional opportunities. However, the exact value of those earnings is not publicly established.
Public Image and Legacy
Jane Pauley’s influence extends beyond her individual television appearances. She entered national television at a time when relatively few women occupied highly visible anchor positions and went on to build a career lasting more than 50 years.
Her path also demonstrates professional reinvention. She moved from local news to Today, from Today to Dateline NBC, from network news to daytime television, and eventually to CBS News Sunday Morning. Poynter has highlighted reinvention as a defining feature of her career.
Her longevity has also been recognized by major journalism organizations. The 2024 National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2025 Poynter Medal are among the clearest recent acknowledgments of her contribution to broadcast journalism.
Conclusion
Jane Pauley‘s career is a remarkable example of longevity and reinvention in American television. From becoming a national figure on NBC’s Today at age 25 to anchoring CBS News Sunday Morning decades later, she has remained a familiar presence in broadcast journalism.
As of September 2026, she continues to host Sunday Morning, appearing in recent CBS broadcasts and remaining an active part of the network’s programming.
Her journalism career, bestselling books, mental health advocacy, marriage to Garry Trudeau, and continued television work have all contributed to her enduring public profile. Rather than simply looking back at her past achievements, her current work shows that her broadcasting career remains an active chapter.
FAQs About Jane Pauley
1. How old is Jane Pauley?
Jane Pauley was born on October 31, 1950. She is 75 years old as of September 24, 2026.
2. Is Jane Pauley still on CBS Sunday Morning?
Yes. CBS News currently lists her as the anchor of CBS News Sunday Morning, and recent 2026 episodes identify her as the program’s host.
3. When did Jane Pauley become the anchor of Sunday Morning?
She joined CBS News Sunday Morning as a contributor in 2014 and became its third anchor in 2016.
4. Who is Jane Pauley married to?
She is married to Garry Trudeau, the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of Doonesbury. They married in 1980.
5. Does Jane Pauley have children?
Yes. She and Garry Trudeau have three grown children.
6. What books has Jane Pauley written?
Her two major books are Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue, published in 2004, and Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life, published in 2014. Both became New York Times bestsellers.
7. What awards has Jane Pauley received?
Her honors include multiple Emmys, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Edward R. Murrow Award, a 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the 2025 Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism.
8. What is Jane Pauley doing now?
She continues to serve as the anchor of CBS News Sunday Morning. Recent broadcasts in September 2026 confirm that she remains actively hosting the program.
