WE'RE BACK WITH JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR OF "GOING THERE"
KATIE COURIC.
I'M NOT SURE WHEN YOU AND I FIRST MET.
BUT I REMEMBER ONE INTERACTION, I HAD BROKEN MY WRIST, AND I
CAME UP TO CBS BROADCAST.
>> I REMEMBER THAT.
>> Stephen: TO GET YOU TO SIGN MY WRIST.
YOU DID NOT SEEM PARTICULARLY HAPPY THAT DAY.
AND THAT IS BORNE OUT BY THE DESCRIPTION OF THAT JOB IN THIS
BOOK.
>> WAS I BLINKING MY EYES TO YOU?
>> Stephen: NOPE, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO.
YOU LITERALLY TURNED TO ME AT ONE POINT AND SAID, "THEY NEVER
LET ME DO ANYTHING HERE THAT I MIGHT ENJOY, BUT I REALLY ENJOY
THIS," AND YOU WALKED OUT OF THE ROOM.
BECAUSE THEY WERE TELLING YOU-- WHOEVER IN THE ROOM WITH YOU
SAID YOU CANNOT CONTINUE WITH THIS BIT.
>> OH, RIGHT, RIGHT.
>> Stephen: AND YOU WENT, "BUT WHY?
THIS IS ALL JUST FOR FUN AND IT'S GOING TO GO TO CHARITY."
AND THEY WERE SO NERVOUS ABOUT HAVING YOU THERE, HAVING FUN IN
THE FISH BOWL.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: AT THE CBS EVENING NEWS.
WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU?
>> HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE?
>> Stephen: WE'VE GOT ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD.
>> LISTEN, LISTEN, THERE ARE A LOT OF FANTASTIC PEOPLE AT CBS
NEWS, BUT I THINK THAT LES MOONVES LURED ME OVER THERE TO
SHAKE UP THE NEWSCAST.
THE PROBLEM WAS NOBODY INVOLVED IN THE NEWSCAST REALLY WANTED IT
TO BE SHAKEN UP.
SO I DIDN'T REALLY GET BUY-IN FROM A LOT OF THE PEOPLE IN
POWERFUL POSITIONS THERE, LIKE JEFF FAGGER.
ANYWAY, SO -- >> Stephen: BUT THERE WERE
PEOPLE THERE LITERALLY PUSHING BACK OVER SOMETHING LES MOONVES
WANTED, SAY WHAT YOU WANT ABOUT LES MOONVES-- AND A LOT HAS BEEN
SAID-- HE ACTUALLY RAN THE NETWORK.
WHAT HE SAID HAPPENED, HAPPENED THERE.
>> YES, YES.
I THINK WHAT OCCURRED IS HE HIRED ME.
HE WANTED TO TRY SOMETHING.
CBS HAD BEEN IN THIRD PLACE IN THE EVENING NEWSCAST FOR I THINK
A DECADE OR MORE.
I THINK HE-- IT WAS SORT OF A HAIL MARY HIRE.
AND ONCE I GOT THERE, THOUGH, I THINK THAT I WAS SO DIFFERENT
CULTURALLY.
CBS IS REALLY, I THINK, THE MOST TRADITIONAL NETWORK.
IT'S KIND OF MOST-- THE MOST OLD BOYS' CLUB.
CLUB-- OR AT LEAST IT WAS AT THE TIME.
AND IT WAS SORT OF LIKE THE BODY REJECTING THE ORGAN TRANSPLANT.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE THE HEALTHY KIDNEY?
>> I WAS THE HEALTHY KIDNEY, AND THEY DIDN'T WANT IT.
THEY DIDN'T NEED IT, RIGHT?
>> Stephen: SO THEY THOUGHT.
>> YEAH.
SO BASICALLY I NEEDED SOME ANTI-REJECTION DRUGS STAT, BUT
NOBODY WAS PROVIDING THEM.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS-- IT WAS A REALLY TOUGH EXPERIENCE.
I TELL THIS FUNNY STORY, YOU KNOW, TO GET SORT OF
RELENTLESSLY CRITICIZED.
ALSO, I THINK AMERICA WASN'T NECESSARILY READY FOR AN ANCHOR
WITH LIPSTICK.
YOU KNOW, I WAS KIND OF THE FIRST ONE --
>> Stephen: EVEN THOUGH YOU WERE ALREADY SO FAMOUS AND
BELOVED.
>> I MEAN-- I MEAN, I THINK I WAS NOT EXACTLY THE ARCHTYPE.
YOU CAN'T GET MORE DIFFERENT THAN ME AND SCOTT PELLEY, FOR
EXAMPLE, WHO CAME IN AND REPLACED ME.
HE'S MUCH MORE OF A TRADITIONAL ANCHORPERSON.
SO I THINK THAT THE COUNTRY AND CBS HAS THE OLDEST, MOST
TRADITIONAL AUDIENCE.
AND INTERNALLY, IN TERMS OF THE D.N.A. OF THAT ORGANIZATION,
THEY WERE JUST NOT THAT INTO ME.
AND I REMEMBER GOING HOME AND, LIKE, MY DAUGHTERS WERE AT THE
KITCHEN TABLE, AND, LIKE-- IT'S REALLY HARD WHEN YOU ARE JUST
ATTACKED RELENTLESSLY, DAY AFTER DAY, AND I'M PRETTY TOUGH, BUT
I'M HUMAN.
AND I STARTED CRYING AT THE DINNER TABLES.
AND MY DAUGHTERS, THEY WERE, LIKE, 10 AND 14.
AND THEY WERE-- THEY WERE SO TAKEN ABACK.
AND THIS WAS AFTER JAY HAD DIED.
AND I WAS A SINGLE MOM.
AND THEY WERE LIKE, "WHAT'S WRONG?"
AND I WAS JUST LIKE, "I'M HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME."
I SOUNDED JUST LIKE MARY ELECTORTYLERMOORE THERE.
AND CARRIE SAID, "REMEMBER WHAT SAMANTHA SAID IN 'SEX IN THE
CITY '."
THIS IS MY 10-YEAR-OLD.
"IF I LISTENED TO WHAT EVERY BITCH IN NEW YORK CITY SAID
ABOUT ME, I'D NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE."
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: AND WITH THAT, AND WITH THAT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
SHE'S GOING THERE.
IT'S AVAILABLE NOW.
AND SHE'S KATIE COURIC.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY GABBY BARRETT.
♪ ♪ ♪