Katie Couric Reveals Heartbreaking Truth About Jeopardy! Appearance

After making a historic appearance on the game show Jeopardy!, Katie Couric shared that the show would always hold a special place in her heart because she used to watch it with her late husband, Jay Monahan, who died of cancer at age 42.

Katie Couric  News – First Ever Female Guest Host

Katie Couric, founder of Katie Couric Media, made a guest appearance on the game show Jeopardy!, becoming the very first woman to host the flagship American show. During an interview on hosting Jeopardy!, she was asked about how she prepared for the role, a question she quickly replied with, “I watch the show a lot, I watch it regularly, but I started watching it religiously.” She also stated that she always watched Alex Trebek, who died in November last year from pancreatic cancer, and observed how he talked and walked.

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Speaking on her time hosting the game show, she told PEOPLE, “It was so much fun,” which isn’t really hard to notice, “First of all, the team behind the scenes is amazing. I think they’re the unsung heroes of the whole operation. They work so hard, they are so smart and they were incredibly welcoming. I was a nervous wreck, honestly, before I came to the studio, but they put me at ease right away.”

Yes, and she put the contestants on the show at ease as well, she told them that Gwyneth Paltrow would be upset with all three of them. Which is something I believe no one wants, I mean, the Iron Lady, mad at you? That’s just bad karma.

She admitted having pre-show jitters, but she also said that the show holds a very special place in her heart and it was always something she was interested in doing.

“I love watching the show, and used to watch it all the time with my late husband [Jay Monahan] who was really good at it. I watch it now with my current husband [John Molner], but I think it has a special place in my heart because Jay loved it so much. I think he would’ve been a really good contestant.”

After Monahan, with whom Couric shares two daughters with, died of colon cancer in 1998 at the age of 42, she has been working tirelessly on spreading the word about colon-cancer screening.

Throughout the duration of her two-week tenure at Jeopardy!, the show will match the winner’s earnings and donate them to Stand Up 2 Cancer, an organization focused specifically on pancreatic cancer research in honor of late host Alex Trebek).

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Katie Couric News – Fighting For A Good Cause

During the interview, Couric expressed her concern about the toll it might take on people who couldn’t get their annual screenings due to the pandemic.

“I think as COVID begins to lift, people really need to talk to their doctors about screening,” she says. “I think that, unfortunately, because so many people were not screened over the past year or so, for obvious reasons, that there will be, unfortunately, many more cancer [cases] and the mortality rate is likely to increase.”

She also advised that it is “absolutely imperative that people talk to their doctors.” She directed people on getting screening tests and the age whereby it is critical to get your first colon cancer screening.

Couric also lost her sister Emily to pancreatic cancer, back in 2002, the same cancer that took the life of Trebek, and she says that she couldn’t really be happier to be a part of helping to raise money and awareness to the cause while hosting Jeopardy!. According to her it’s a twofer, checking off a bucket list while fighting for something just and right, I totally agree with her.

It would be sad to see her go when her two-week stint finally wraps on March 19, but she’d be followed by a cast of amazing characters as well.