Katie Couric is opening up about the downside of fame.
The longtime TV journalist recently reflected on what came with becoming one of television’s biggest stars, admitting that while fame brought incredible career opportunities, it also came with challenges she never expected.
During an appearance on the “Is This Working?!” podcast, Couric said one thing she didn’t see coming was “how it f—s with your head.” The 69-year-old said all the attention and praise that came with her success sometimes made it difficult to separate who she really was from the version of herself the public saw.
“It’s hard not to believe your own press if you’re, you know, being praised and you’re like the it girl or the big thing, and you’re being on the cover of magazines, and people are cheering for you and rooting for you,” she said.
Couric also said fame can change relationships because people often become interested in the public version of someone instead of who they really are. She added that some people may even form relationships because of a person’s celebrity or what that connection could eventually bring them.
Still, Couric said she wouldn’t trade the opportunities that came with her career. She admitted she would choose both meaningful work and fame, pointing to the financial success she was able to achieve during her years in television news.
Couric Reflects on TV News’ ‘Golden Age’
Looking back on her career, Couric said she was fortunate to work during what she considers the “golden age” of television news.
According to People, she said audiences relied on a much smaller number of trusted news sources before social media changed the media landscape. Viewers formed strong connections with familiar TV personalities, helping boost ratings and the salaries many network anchors earned at the time.
Couric even joked that when she pays for dinner with friends, she reminds them she was “overpaid for years.”
She co-hosted NBC’s “Today” from 1991 to 2006 before anchoring the “CBS Evening News” from 2006 to 2011. She later hosted the daytime talk show “Katie” on ABC from 2012 to 2014.
Over the course of her career, Couric has won seven Daytime Emmy Awards and received the Emmy Governors Award in 2009 for her contributions to broadcasting.
Couric Has Also Been Sharing More About Her Personal Life
In recent months, Couric has opened up more about life away from the news desk.
In May, she reflected on the loss of her first husband, Jay Monahan, who died of colon cancer in 1998 at age 42. According to People, their daughters, Ellie and Carrie, were just 6 and 2 years old when he died. Couric said Monahan missed watching them grow up, including their graduations, weddings and the birth of their grandson, Jay, who was named after him.
She said that experience continues to fuel her advocacy for cancer awareness and early screenings.
Earlier this month, Couric also shared details about a frightening health scare that initially left her family fearing she had suffered a stroke. According to Variety, she later learned she had experienced transient global amnesia while attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, a rare condition that causes sudden, temporary memory loss.
Doctors ruled out a stroke, and although they never determined what caused the episode, Couric said she was grateful it wasn’t something more serious.
Reflecting on life in the spotlight, Couric said, “People are interested in a version of you that’s not necessarily who you really are.”
