Each week, Sunday Morning offers a quiet space where American life is examined not for its noise but for its meaning — and this October broadcast is no exception. From a Kennedy matriarch who chose purpose over grief, to a children's book that has quietly broken records, to a young musician mapping his own interior fractures, the program asks what it looks like to keep going. These are stories about resilience not as triumph, but as a daily, imperfect choice — set against the backdrop of loss, creativity, and the long arc of human endurance.
Sunday Morning explores Ethel Kennedy's legacy, Gruffalo's return, and women's pro baseball
She chose to keep living with purpose despite circumstances that might have justified withdrawal.
Mark
So this week's Sunday Morning is really about people who've endured something—loss, time, struggle—and kept moving. Is that fair?
Mimi
That's the thread, yes. Ethel Kennedy after her husband's murder. Noah Kahan turning depression into chart-topping albums. Billy Crystal rebuilding after a wildfire. Even the Gruffalo authors—they've been at it for over twenty years and just had their biggest success.
Luke
But I want to be careful here. The source material tells us what these people have done, but it doesn't always explain why they're doing it now, or what changed. Why is Kerry Kennedy writing this biography now? Why did Noah Kahan's album top the charts now, specifically?
Mimi
Fair questions. The source doesn't give us those answers. It tells us the facts—the album exists, it's number one, he's talked about mental health—but not the deeper "why now."
Mark
And the women's baseball league—that's a real return, right? Not just a reboot?
Mimi
It's the first professional women's baseball league in America since 1954. So yes, it's a genuine return after 72 years. The source names specific people involved: Kelsie Whitmore as the first overall draft pick, Maggie Foxx as a catcher, Justine Siegal as commissioner, Keith Stein as CEO.
Luke
But the source doesn't tell us how many teams, how many players, what the league's financial backing is, or whether it's sustainable. We know it debuted last month and Faith Salie is reporting on it, but we don't know the scale.
Mark
So it's a story worth watching, but we're not getting the full picture yet.
Luke
Exactly. The reporting is there, but the depth isn't in this preview.
Mimi
Which is what a preview is—it's an invitation to tune in and learn more.
The Pulse
- Ethel Kennedy's story forces a reckoning with how public figures carry private devastation — her husband assassinated, her son estranged in ideology — yet she refused to let tragedy become her defining posture.
- A mouse, a monster, and two collaborators who met in 1999 have somehow produced the U.K.'s fastest-selling picture book ever, proving that the quietest stories can generate the loudest cultural reverberations.
- Noah Kahan turned a single TikTok post into stadium tours and Grammy nominations, but his new album reveals the cost — depression, fractured friendships, family divides — and his deliberate effort now to write toward joy rather than only pain.
- Billy Crystal lost his home of decades to wildfire and responded by building a Broadway show from the ashes, while women's professional baseball returns to American fields for the first time in 72 years, each story a different grammar of beginning again.
Each week, Sunday Morning offers a quiet space where American life is examined not for its noise but for its meaning — and this October broadcast is no exception. From a Kennedy matriarch who chose purpose over grief, to a children's book that has quietly broken records, to a young musician mapping his own interior fractures, the program asks what it looks like to keep going. These are stories about resilience not as triumph, but as a daily, imperfect choice — set against the backdrop of loss, creativity, and the long arc of human endurance.
CBS Sunday Morning returns this week with a broadcast that moves through grief, creativity, and the stubborn human instinct to keep creating — hosted, as always, by Jane Pauley.
The lead story centers on Ethel Kennedy, whose daughter Kerry has written a new biography tracing a life shaped by extraordinary public loss. Correspondent Rita Braver explores how Ethel chose forward motion after her husband Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, and examines the complicated bond between mother and son — Ethel and RFK Jr. — where love and deep disagreement have long coexisted. The portrait Kerry Kennedy offers is not of a woman defined by tragedy, but of one who refused to let it be the final word.
Children's literature arrives next in the form of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the duo behind The Gruffalo. More than twenty-five years after that small mouse and his invented monster first appeared, the pair have released Gruffalo Granny — now the U.K.'s bestselling book of the year across all genres and the fastest-selling picture book ever recorded. Correspondent Elizabeth Palmer speaks with them about sustaining a creative partnership across decades and the surprising depth that picture books can carry.
Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan offers a different kind of endurance arc. A TikTok post in 2020 became a multi-platinum career and two Grammy nominations; sold-out stadiums followed. His fourth album, The Great Divide, sits atop the Billboard charts while exploring depression, anxiety, and relationships worn thin by distance. Correspondent Luke Burbank talks with Kahan about navigating mental health publicly — and about his conscious turn toward writing music that also holds joy.
The broadcast rounds out with correspondent Seth Doane in Valencia tracing the origins of authentic paella; Tracy Smith speaking with Billy Crystal, who transformed the loss of his Pacific Palisades home in the 2025 wildfires into a Broadway one-man show called '860'; and Faith Salie reporting on the newly launched Women's Pro Baseball League — the first professional women's baseball in the United States since 1954 — featuring interviews with draft pick Kelsie Whitmore, catcher Maggie Foxx, and league leadership.
Sunday Morning, the Emmy-winning CBS News program hosted by Jane Pauley, returns this week with a lineup that moves across American memory, children's literature, and contemporary music—each story centered on resilience, creativity, and what endures.
The broadcast opens with Kerry Kennedy discussing her new biography of her mother, Ethel Kennedy. The book, "Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy," traces a woman who sustained hope and determination through devastating public loss—most notably the assassination of her husband, Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Correspondent Rita Braver will explore how Ethel Kennedy moved forward after that tragedy, and will also examine the complicated dynamic between Ethel and her son Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a relationship marked by both connection and fundamental disagreement. Kerry Kennedy's portrait presents her mother not as a figure frozen in grief, but as someone who chose to keep living with purpose and optimism despite circumstances that might have justified withdrawal.
Elsewhere on the broadcast, children's literature takes center stage with Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler. The pair created "The Gruffalo" in 1999—a story about a small mouse who invents a terrifying monster to protect himself—and the book became a global phenomenon. Now, more than two decades later, they have released "Gruffalo Granny," their third book in the series. The new title has become the United Kingdom's bestselling book of any genre this year and the fastest-selling picture book on record. Correspondent Elizabeth Palmer will talk with Donaldson and Scheffler about how they have sustained their creative partnership across decades, and how children's books can address profound ideas for young readers.
Musician Noah Kahan represents another kind of endurance story. A Vermont singer-songwriter, Kahan posted a song called "Stick Season" on TikTok in 2020, and that single moment of sharing launched him into a career of multi-platinum success and two Grammy nominations. His sold-out stadium shows now draw thousands. His fourth album, "The Great Divide," has topped the Billboard chart and explores difficult terrain: friendships that have fractured, family divisions, depression, and anxiety. Correspondent Luke Burbank will discuss with Kahan how he has navigated mental health struggles publicly, and what it means that he is now actively seeking to bring more joy into his songwriting.
The broadcast also includes other segments: correspondent Seth Doane travels to Valencia, Spain, to investigate how paella is traditionally prepared and served, moving past the many variations that have emerged over time. Billy Crystal, whose Pacific Palisades home burned in the January 2025 wildfire that destroyed more than 5,000 structures, has channeled that loss into a one-man stage show called "860," now running on Broadway. Correspondent Tracy Smith will explore how Crystal found creative purpose in the aftermath of devastation. And correspondent Faith Salie reports on the newly launched Women's Pro Baseball League, which marks the return of professional women's baseball to the United States after 72 years—since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ceased operations. The segment will feature interviews with the league's first overall draft pick, Kelsie Whitmore; catcher Maggie Foxx; commissioner Justine Siegal; and CEO Keith Stein.
The program airs on CBS at 9 a.m. Eastern time and streams on the CBS News app at 11 a.m. Eastern. Full episodes are available on demand through CBSNews.com, CBS.com, and Paramount+, as well as through various streaming platforms including Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.
Notable Quotes
Kerry Kennedy describes her mother as someone who maintained positivity and resilience despite public and private tragedies— CBS News Sunday Morning preview
Noah Kahan is now looking forward to accessing joy in his music, after an album that explored depression, anxiety, and fractured relationships— CBS News Sunday Morning preview
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