Jane Pauley Today Show throwback pics trace her early TV years

Jane Pauley anchored NBC's Today show from October 1976 through 1989, and a new photo retrospective revisits her earliest years on air—from soft curls beside Tom Brokaw to a 1985 bob when ratings beat Good Morning America. The throwback shows how one of morning TV's most enduring faces emerged before Dateline NBC and CBS Sunday Morning.

Key Takeaways

• Jane Pauley co-anchored the Today show for 13 years, from October 1976 until her departure in 1989.
• Archival photos trace her evolving on-air style, from 1970s layered curls and paisley prints to a signature curled bob by 1985.
• Pauley worked closely with Tom Brokaw and Gene Shalit in her early years, and later interviewed stars like John Travolta at the height of Saturday Night Fever.
• After Today, she co-anchored Dateline NBC, hosted her own daytime series, and now leads CBS Sunday Morning.
• CBS recently resurfaced a 2016 Jane Pauley report in its June 21, 2026 Sunday Morning archives segment.

A fresh nostalgia piece from The List is putting Jane Pauley back in the morning-TV spotlight. The gallery pulls together dated portraits and desk shots from her first decade-plus at NBC, when she became one of the most recognizable faces in American broadcasting.

For viewers who grew up with network mornings before streaming took over, the images are more than fashion history. They map the arc of a journalist who held the coveted morning anchor spot for 13 years and never really left the cultural conversation.

Why is Jane Pauley's Today show photo throwback trending now?

The List published its throwback gallery on June 27, 2026, just days after CBS News' June 21 edition of Sunday Morning featured an archival Jane Pauley report in its "From the Archives" web segment. That episode, guest-hosted by Lee Cowan, also covered birthright citizenship, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, John Mulaney, and more.

The Yahoo syndication of CBS' weekly preview highlighted the basket-building segment specifically: a July 17, 2016 Jane Pauley report on Ohio's seven-story Longaberger Basket Building, when it first went on the market. Pairing that resurfaced footage with The List's 1970s and 1980s stills gives fans two timelines at once—Pauley as a young Today anchor and Pauley as the longtime CBS Sunday Morning host.

Daytime TV may feel like a relic in the streaming era, as The List notes, but anchors like Pauley shaped both pop culture and news habits for millions. That dual relevance helps explain why the photos are circulating again.

What do Jane Pauley's earliest Today show photos reveal about her 1970s look?

Pauley joined Today in October 1976. An early portrait from around that debut shows her in a gold earring and necklace set, with layered curls falling just past her shoulders. The List compares the cut to the butterfly hairstyle that has made a comeback in recent years, though Pauley's version stayed soft and understated.

Her makeup in that period was equally restrained—a pale blue eyeshadow pop rather than heavy glam. A May 1978 photo captures another era hallmark: a red-orange paisley shirt. Pauley was 27 at the time, and the lighting in the frame reveals the dark blonde tones in hair that can read as brown on camera.

By October 1981, a black-and-gold dress portrait marked a sharper turn. Pauley, born October 31, 1950, was leaning into elegant contrast colors she would revisit at formal events for decades. The List also notes it was among the last images of her with long hair before the shorter cuts that defined the 1990s and 2000s.

For more era-spanning TV nostalgia, browse our Nostalgia: Then & Now coverage.

How did Jane Pauley's Today show partnerships shape her career?

Some of the most telling photos are not solo headshots but desk shots with colleagues. A 1977 image shows Pauley seated between film critic Gene Shalit—who spent 37 years on Today—and co-anchor Tom Brokaw, her main partner from 1976 to 1981.

Pauley has called Brokaw an "older brother," and the friendship outlasted the broadcast. Brokaw also played matchmaker, introducing her to cartoonist Garry Trudeau, whom she married. In a Television Academy Foundation interview, Pauley joked she would never have named her son Tom if she and Brokaw had not gotten along.

Another 1977 moment captures Pauley interviewing John Travolta during the Saturday Night Fever press cycle. The two nearly match in navy and gray tones on set. Decades later, Travolta revisited that footage with his daughter on Today in 2026 while promoting Propeller One-Way Night Coach—closing a loop The List's gallery quietly opens.

Where is Jane Pauley now after leaving the Today show?

Pauley officially left Today in 1989 after 13 years. She co-anchored Dateline NBC from 1992 to 2003, then hosted The Jane Pauley Show from 2004 to 2005. In 2004 she published Skywriting: A Life Out of Blue, a memoir that detailed her experiences with bipolar affective disorder.

She returned to Today for guest segments, including the 2009 weekly feature "Your Life Calling" and a 2013 reunion edition. As of The List's reporting, she continues as anchor of CBS News' Sunday Morning—the same program that rebroadcast her 2016 Longaberger Basket Building story on June 21, 2026.

By the mid-1980s, Pauley's look was evolving again. A 1985 NBC portrait shows the curled bob that would become a signature, paired with thick gold hoop earrings. That year also marked the first time in years that Today beat Good Morning America in the ratings, a milestone The List ties to her refreshed on-air image.

Whether you remember her beside Brokaw at the news desk or reporting from Ohio years later, the through-line is consistency: Jane Pauley has remained a trusted morning voice across networks and decades. These throwback photos simply make that longevity visible—one curl, one paisley shirt, and one ratings win at a time.