In 2001, Katie Couric made history by becoming the highest paid journalist in the history
of television news. What earlier job of hers did she consider "dead-end"? And how did her
earnings affect her marriage? Keep watching to find out.
In many ways, it's no surprise that Katie Couric pursued a career in journalism. As
revealed in Edward Klein's biography about her, Katie: The Real Story, her father, John
Couric, tried his hand at journalism as well, picking up jobs at a newspaper in Atlanta,
Georgia, before moving on to a position at a news service in Washington, D.C. After those
options didn't pan out, he worked in public relations for a short time. Though less is
known about the life of her mother, Elinor Couric, the biography reveals her Jewish heritage.
According to NBC Washington, Katie's father retired in 1985 after having worked as a writer
for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In 2011, the news outlet reported his death
at the age of 90 due to complications from Parkinson's disease. Katie's mother died in
September 2014, with Katie expressing on Twitter that her heart was broken before adding,
"I lost my mom and best friend. We love you and miss you, Mom/Granny."
"My mom gave me my spirit. But my dad gave me my soul."
Katie Couric pursued a job in journalism directly after graduating from the University of Virginia
in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in American studies. Her first job on television was for
ABC, which she found exciting. As she later recalled to the Washingtonian, her first day
on the job was nearly unbelievable, with legendary reporter and anchor Sam Donaldson taking her
to watch a White House briefing on her very first day.
However, Couric also says, per the Washingtonian, that not everything about the job was perfect,
and the tough hours made her contemplate leaving television altogether. As she explained,
"I'd work 11 to 7 one day, 3 to 11 the next day, I'd work the overnight, and I worried
it was a dead-end job."
After ABC, Couric moved on to a role at a CBS affiliate in Miami, Florida. In an interview
with the Television Academy Foundation, Couric revealed how her first attempt at anchoring
actually happened while in Miami. She explained,
"It wasn't that I necessarily had aspirations to be an anchor, but I thought the more skills
I had, the more marketable I would be."
While the experience didn't go quite as well as she hoped, Couric did move on to work at
CNN soon after.
On April 4, 1991, Katie Couric made headlines in a major way when she was named co-anchor
of the Today show after filling in as interim co-anchor following the departure of Deborah
Norville. As the Los Angeles Times reported at the time, Norville had only been brought
on to Today in January 1990, ostensibly to replace popular longtime host Jane Pauley.
When Norville bowed out in February 1991 to go on maternity leave, Couric jumped at the
chance to join the show on a full-time basis, bringing a ratings boost with her.
A member of the management team at NBC praised the choice, telling the Los Angeles Times
that Couric was a great replacement because:
"Katie's somebody you can get up in the morning with."
For her part, Couric was just as excited to have the opportunity to shine as co-anchor,
telling The Washington Post how the role was one she ranked quite high:
"I'm very happy. It's one of the best jobs, if not the best job, in television."
Couric also praised Norville, explaining to The Washington Post that her predecessor had
already taught her a lot, despite their work days not overlapping. As she put it, watching
Norville navigate a sticky work situation was inspiring. She said,
"I've learned from Deborah how to hold your head high and conduct yourself with dignity
when nobody seems to be in your corner."
Katie Couric and her first husband, Jay Monahan, reportedly met while she was working at the
Today show. The pair were both living in Washington, D.C., where Monahan worked as a lawyer. They
were married in a small wedding ceremony on January 24, 1989. The couple headed to New
York when Couric became an on-air reporter, and Monahan even jumped into the media as
well, coming on board as a legal analyst for NBC News. In her 2021 memoir Going There,
Couric shares that when she met Monahan, she was pretty marriage-minded for someone in
her 20s. She writes,
"I was always very goal-oriented, both professionally and then when I turned 30, I was like, 'I
better get married to find a nice husband.'"
In fact, Couric even describes her pursuit of a potential husband as similar to how she
approached her career. While promoting the book in October 2021, Couric described Monahan
as, quote, "handsome, young, mischievous."
Katie Couric was devastated when her husband, Jay Monahan, died in 1998. At the time, Couric
and Monahan had only been married for nine years. Monahan died from colorectal cancer,
a diagnosis Couric later admitted they never would have thought to have screened for at
the time.
"Many of you know that I lost my husband, Jay Monahan, my loving and beloved husband,
last month after a courageous battle with colon cancer."
In her memoir Going There, Couric writes extensively about losing her husband and how she came
to terms with the fact she would lose him. She also admits she didn't feel ready to face
death, explaining,
"I think it takes extraordinary courage to be able to face death, and I think I was too
scared, honestly."
Couric also worried she could have done more to prevent his death, or, at least, to delay
it. However, Couric is also frank about problems the two faced in their union, especially when
she began earning more than Monahan. She described the situation to People as, quote, "destabilizing."
Katie Couric and her first husband, Jay Monahan, had two children together: Elinor, whom the
pair welcomed in 1991, and Caroline, who was born in 1996. After Monahan's death at the
age of 42, Couric was left to raise the pair's children on her own. She told Working Mother
how this meant being intentional about her demanding work schedule, hopefully without
limiting opportunities that could come her way. In 2012, she explained how she balanced
it all, saying,
"I try to limit the things I do at night and not travel too much. If I do have to be away
for work, I make sure I'm home for the nights before I leave and build in plenty of time
at home once I return."
In the interview, Couric also offered advice for other moms struggling to balance the demands
of life, sharing that, even when it's hard, it's important to find time for yourself.
She also gave some excellent advice to parents of older kids, especially teenagers, adding,
"And remember, if you have a teen, don't take her words personally. If you did, you'd spend
the whole day crying!"
Katie Couric hit a career milestone a few years after her first husband's death. In
2001, she signed a landmark $65 million contract with NBC. At the time, Couric had just marked
10 years on the Today show, and media insiders reportedly paid close attention to the moves
she made. Per The Guardian, Couric knew everyone in the industry was watching, and she loved
it. As the publication notes, a producer at NBC told the now-defunct Brill's Content,
"She's reve[l]ing in the fact that everyone is on the edge of her seat about what she
is going to do."
The colossal payout — which made Couric the highest-paid journalist ever in the history
of TV news – was spread over four-and-a-half years. The Guardian noted that Couric's new
salary was even higher than those of broadcasting legends Barbara Walters and Tom Brokaw.
Katie Couric accomplished another major milestone in 2006 when she was named the first female
solo anchor of a nightly news program. The move prompted Couric to leave the Today show
after an impressive 15 years.
"So for now, it's not goodbye, at least not yet, but a heartfelt thank you for 15 great
years."
However, Couric later admitted that she wasn't quite sure Americans were prepared to welcome
a woman as a nightly news anchor. Couric explained to Today that her experience as such a beloved
co-anchor on the show led her to believe she would similarly thrive as a nightly news anchor.
Unfortunately, the reality was quite different. While she admitted she's unsure if the less-than-stellar
public reaction was because she's a woman or because she's Katie Couric, she explained
that she still believes the role can work for a woman. She said,
"But I really went there to say a woman can do this job with confidence and competence,
and that's really what motivated my decision."
Couric also told Today that one reason she left for CBS is simply because she enjoys
new experiences. However, she thinks it's possible she still had too much of her old
job in her, noting,
"I think the problem is probably I didn't change enough when I went to CBS. I was more
of a product of the Today show and NBC."
Katie Couric married her second husband, John Molner, in June 2014 after a 10-month engagement.
As related by The U.S. Sun, the two first met in 2012, after Couric asked a surgeon
friend if she knew any single doctors. The friend didn't, but she did know a single banker.
By 2013, the two happily announced their engagement. Couric and Molner dove into developing their
professional lives together following their wedding. In 2017, they launched a short-lived
cooking show on YouTube called Full Plate with Katie & John before moving on to other
pursuits. The same year, they established Katie Couric Media.
Couric once told People she was deliberate when looking for another partner because she
enjoyed marriage the first time around and desired another good experience:
"It took me a long time [to marry again], because I loved being married and I love being
married now. And I'm not a solitary person. I like company."
Katie Couric added another show to her repertoire in 2018 when she launched the six-part documentary
series America Inside Out on National Geographic. The series, launched as an exploration of
the divisions that exist within the U.S., was billed as:
"[Katie Couric] invite[s] her audience to [...] hear directly from the people facing
these challenges in the hopes that viewers can form a deeper understanding of the issues
that seem to be tearing society apart."
The series showrunner, Jeanmarie Condon, praised the concept of the show, explaining to Realscreen
that Couric was the ideal person to bridge the gaps that exist. As Condon explained,
"These are issues that ultimately touch all of us in some way, and the idea was [to have]
Katie go right into the center of what's happening."
Tim Pastore, president of programming at National Geographic, also praised Couric, saying her
talent as a journalist, especially her ability to listen to both sides of any story presented
to her, would propel the show to success.
Katie Couric released her memoir, Going There, in late 2021, taking a chance to peel back
the layers on her career and personal life. While the book is quite open about a lot of
things, Couric has been clear it was written in large part to keep the father of her daughters
alive for them. During an interview with Today, Couric explained that, because her daughters
were only ages 6 and 2 when their father died, they don't have a lot of memories of him.
Couric explained:
"I dedicate it to Ellie and Carrie because I really wanted them to get to know the father
they never got to know, and they both called me in tears, and I think they're grateful
for the book."
Couric also shared that, per People, as painful as writing parts of the memoir were, it was
also an experience that reminded her of the sheer joy of starting her life together with
her first husband, Jay Monahan. Couric also explained why she hasn't opened up about her
first husband's death in great detail before. As she relates, while Jay Monahan was in the
hospital toward the end of his life, her own father reminded her of a simple truth: This
was not her story to tell. Couric explained to Today:
"This was happening to Jay, not me, as my dad reminded me in the hospital. It was heartbreaking."
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