Beloved journalist and presenter Katie Couric has been married twice: her first husband was Jay Monahan, whom she married in 1989. Monahan died in 1998 from colon cancer. He was 42. Before his death, he and Couric never discussed the possibility of his dying, and it is something that she regrets.
Katie Couric Bravely Opens up About Her Late Husband
GettyIn an interview with USA Today, Couric opened up about this heartbreaking time in her life, saying, “My biggest regret, I think, was that I never really talked to my husband about the possibility that he might die, quite frankly. We never had those hard conversations.”
She continued, “I wish we had gone to talk to somebody who could have helped facilitate that kind of conversation, honestly, because the only way I knew to deal with Jay’s illness was to not give up hope and keep saying, ‘We’ll figure this out.'” She also revealed how she was Monahan’s carer and how they did not have these tough talks because she “couldn’t deal with bringing up the possibility that he wouldn’t be around.”
Having been in this situation, Couric has become an advocate for colon cancer awareness, previously using her platform to create knowledge about the disease and encourage early screenings. She also attends events, like the Cologuard Classic PGA TOUR Champions tournament for colon cancer awareness, USA Today reports. “It’s devastating, the heartbreak of having someone you know and love get diagnosed with this disease when their whole life is in front of them,” Couric said.
Couric has let those who may find themselves in a similar situation know that it is OK to ask for help and accept it, and that being a caregiver for a loved one does not mean they have to do it alone. “I tried to do that during the course of Jay’s illness. I felt guilty at times, but I knew that I was going to explode if I didn’t do that,” she said of asking for help.
Katie Couric Embraces New Chapter in Her Life
GettyMonahan’s death deeply impacted his family. He left behind his loving wife and their two young daughters, Ellie and Carrie. Couric reflected on how he had “missed” out on seeing his children grow up but was confident that Monahan would have been “so proud of both of them.”
Couric raised her daughters and later found love with her second husband, John Molner. The pair married in 2014. She is now a grandmother and is embracing this new chapter in her life. “My only ‘grandmother rule’ is to not tell my daughter what to do,” she told People after the birth of her grandson, who is named John. She also used the interview to praise Ellie for her abilities as a mom.
