Katie Couric marks 25 years since she underwent a colonoscopy on TV. She’s been urging people to get screened since her husband died of colon cancer. Katie Couric is starring in a playful new public service announcement with a serious message about colon cancer screening that also spoofs the viral Sydney Sweeney jeans ad.
The “Lead From Behind” PSA, unveiled on Thursday, Sept. 25, begins with a closeup of the former TODAY co-anchor wearing an open denim shirt that’s off her shoulder as the lies on her side propped on pillows. “Speaking of genes, did you know that the majority of people who develop colon cancer are not genetically predisposed to the disease?” she asks.
As the camera pulls out for a wider shot, it shows Couric is actually lying on a hospital bed and wearing a hospital gown as healthcare workers prepare for a colonoscopy behind her.
“That’s why doctors recommend everyone 45 and older get checked. Mine are televised.”
A booming male voice then reads the message displayed in giant letters on the screen: “Katie Couric gets regular screenings.”
The voice, font and style of the video are very similar to the “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” American Eagle controversial campaign from this summer. “That ad showed how pop culture and a pair of jeans could really shape the cultural conversation … it was everywhere,” Couric, 68, told People.
“It was a moment in time, and we thought, ‘Why don’t we ride that horse a little bit longer and have some fun with it?’”
TODAY got an exclusive first look at the PSA on Thursday, Sept. 25, as Couric marked 25 years since she became the first person in history to broadcast a colonoscopy on national television.
Couric’s husband, Jay Monahan, died in 1998 of colon cancer at the age of 42. She then underwent a colonoscopy on the air in 2000 to encourage other people to get the screening.
“After this happened to Jay, I felt really responsible and obligated to inform people and to let them know about a disease that nobody really wants to talk about,” she said at the time.
Screening rates jumped almost 20% in the years that followed, with doctors calling it the “Couric effect.”
“It’s something that I’m really proud of,” Couric told TODAY’s Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones on Thursday. Craig’s brother, Lawrence Meadows, died from colon cancer at 43 in 2020.
“Colon cancer can be prevented if it’s detected early.”
She’s also been urging people to know the symptoms and warning signs of colon cancer such as rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, narrow stools and iron-deficiency anemia.
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.
As for the new PSA, Couric said she had a lot of fun doing it and hopes people can watch, laugh and talk about it, “and then, most importantly, call their doctor and make an appointment to get screened.”
Couric accompanied Jimmy Kimmel when he underwent his screening in 2018. She and her second husband, John Molner, also got “his and her colonoscopies,” Couric said. “It was very romantic.”
