As Katie Couric told us a few years ago, her name happens to be “associated with a certain part of people’s anatomy. And honestly, I’m OK with that.”
That’s because ever since her first husband, Jay Monahan, passed away in 1998 from colon cancer at age 42—and then Couric herself famously underwent a colonoscopy on live TV two years later—she’s used her platform to make sure Americans know the importance of preventative measures. For decades, the former TODAY Show co-host and CBS Evening News anchor has continued her advocacy work, including publicly sharing her breast cancer diagnosis in 2022. That was years after she also aired her mammogram on the TODAY Show in 2005.
This weekend, Couric’s meeting up with more than 400 colon cancer survivors, patients, and caregivers. The reason? The Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences PGA tournament happening in Tucson. The tournament serves as an opportunity to spread awareness about the importance of colon cancer screening, especially as the diagnosis rate for younger adults continues to climb at alarming rates. Today, according to 2026 data from the Cancer Research Institute, one out of every five diagnoses occurs in someone under the age of 55.
This startling statistic is front of mind for Couric, who repeatedly returned to the urgent need for increased awareness during an exclusive interview this week. Ahead, in her fourth annual discussion with The Healthy during Colon Cancer Awareness Month, Couric shares her top three pieces of advice for Americans who want to be proactive about their health, especially as colorectal cancer recently became the deadliest cancer for adults younger than 50.
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The Healthy: Katie, thank you for making this the fourth time we get together to discuss this topic.
Katie Couric: Well, thank you for covering it. I’m so appreciative because I was just saying to my colleagues here, it’s so important to get the word out because I think there’s so much coming at people these days in news information, health information, that it’s hard to be heard above the din.
The Healthy: You’ve been an advocate around the topic of colon cancer screening for decades now—likely helping countless people seek out proper medical care. Do you have a story of a time someone shared something with you that helped you realize that your advocacy has truly made a difference?
Katie Couric: I have so many like that. I mean, it’s been 26 years since I did that colonoscopy on the TODAY Show, and it really wasn’t a one-and-done effort. I have continued to focus on this disease. Obviously, I am one of the co-founders of “Stand Up to Cancer,” so I’ve also been focusing on many cancers to increase awareness and research funding to help develop better treatments for many cancers. But obviously, colorectal cancer has been near and dear to my heart after losing my husband, Jay, in 1998 when he was just 42 years old. And I think because I took on this issue before talking about colorectal cancer had really been normalized, there was still a lot of stigma around the disease. There’s still a lot of embarrassment and discomfort talking about that part of our bodies that I think I am happy to say, I think I’ve had a significant impact.
I’ve had people come up to me, complete strangers, and tell me that they were screened because of me and it saved their lives. I’ve had people send me pictures of their colonoscopies. I’ve had countless people tell me on social media that they got screened because of me.
Each and every time it happens, I am so moved because it’s so gratifying to know that something that you experienced on such a profound level, something that you’ve wanted to spare other people from going through, that your efforts are … working and that they’re having an impact. So I’ve had people come up to me with tears in their eyes in a restaurant, total strangers, just to say “Thank you.” And as I said, every time it happens, I am so happy. I’m so happy because they are around to tell me that.
The Healthy: Americans know your face, but you know their colons.
Katie Couric: I have seen a lot of colons, but I’ve also talked to people, and honestly, I think because of my advocacy, I’ve become a bit of a clearinghouse for a lot of different cancers where people approach me. I’m always so willing to help because I remember how terrifying it was when Jay and I went through that and out of the blue, a doctor took me into the hallway and said, “It’s cancer and the prognosis is bleak.” We were in a very difficult position, but I mean, in those 26 years, I think a lot has changed. People who are diagnosed at an earlier stage have reason to hope, and I think that’s really my goal: to get people diagnosed at the earliest stage possible when it’s most treatable. That, coupled with trying to figure out why so many young people are being diagnosed with this disease.
The Healthy: We interviewed James Van Der Beek just months before passed away last month.
Katie Couric: Last year it became the number one cancer killer of people under the age of 50.
The Healthy: What would you encourage younger adults to do or know about when it comes to this rising risk, especially as it’s now the deadliest cancer for adults younger than 50?
Katie Couric: First and foremost, if you’re 45, you need to talk to your doctor. It used to be 50. I took Jimmy Kimmel to get his colonoscopy when he was 50. It is now 45. So talk to your doctor about getting screened and what your options are.
Secondly, know your family history, because if you have a first line relative, you need to get screened 10 years before that person was diagnosed. That’s really important. Thirdly, I think people should look at genetic testing and find out if they have any of any gene mutation that may put them at higher risk, and that will impact their screening regimen.
And then finally, until there is a test that can be used for people under the age of 45, they should really be aware of the symptoms. They should be mindful that they have unexplained weight loss, fatigue, a change in their bowel habits, blood in their stools, which could mean either blood in the toilet bowl or dark stools, could be occult blood, hidden blood. So that bloating, just feeling like something’s not right. You need to talk to your doctor and make sure you bring up: “Could this be colorectal cancer? Can I get screened?” Because I think still there’s a lag between many doctors thinking, especially for younger people, that this could possibly be colorectal cancer. And so I think it’s really important to be your own best advocate.
Doctors, internists, OB/GYNs—any of them are obviously very aware and communicate with their patients that this is something that they need to be aware of, but it’s still not top of mind for them. They often say, if you have rectal bleeding, “Oh, it’s just hemorrhoids,” and then you ignore it, and then unfortunately, by the time you realize it’s more serious than hemorrhoids, it’s progressed.
So those are the things that I am thinking about when it comes to this disease. And also, I just want to mention—only a fifth of people between the ages of 45 and 50 get screened since the screening age was lowered, so we really need to get the word out. That’s super important. And there’s also a slight increase in colorectal cancer cases between age 50 and 65. They don’t know if that’s because they’re catching more of those cases, which is good news, but it’s just a reminder that you still need to get screened in that age group too, and beyond 65 as well.
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The Healthy: It definitely seems like some people are still catching up on the news that 45 is the new screening age, so that’s a good reminder.
Katie Couric: Tell all your friends. Tell them about the increase in early onset and tell them to tell a couple of friends they have at 45. We can be like the Faberge wheat germ commercial—”and she told someone and she told someone, and so on and so on.” I don’t know if you remember that commercial, but I also think there’s great power in just spreading the word to people you know love and talking to them and saying, “Have you been screened for colorectal cancer?” [Talk] to your own tribe. Talk to them.
The Healthy: Beyond colon cancer and its impact on your family, you’ve also shared that you were diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago—and you’ve helped raise awareness for other cancers, too. If you had to distill all your thoughts surrounding preventative care and screenings into one sentence, what would it be?
Katie Couric: A few [are]: know your body and pay attention to it, and science is amazing. There are ways to detect some of these cancers, not all of them, because some of these diagnostic tools aren’t available for things like ovarian cancer or pancreatic cancer, but there are things you can do right now to find a cancer early and cure it if you just do it. So my message is get screened. People are like, “Oh, the prep is a pain,” or they don’t want to poop in a box, or “This is gross,” or whatever. And I always say, it doesn’t compare to being diagnosed stage 4 colon cancer or even stage 3 advanced colon cancer, colorectal cancer. So it’s like, put your big boy and your big girl pants on, or maybe take them off, and get screened.
Because if you want to be around, if you want to live a long, healthy life—not only for yourself, but for the people who love you and need you and rely on you… I mean, I hate to put people on a guilt trip, but I do think it’s kind of selfish to not get screened. I think if you love the people in your life and you feel you want to be around for them, then get your butt to the doctor.
The Healthy: It can save a lot of heartache down the road.
Katie Couric: Yeah, that’s the thing. I remember I did a PSA early on, and I said, “Don’t be the one who says, ‘If only.'”
The Healthy: That’s so true.
Katie Couric: Did we talk about what’s causing this young onset [of cases]?
The Healthy: We’d love to hear your thoughts because it’s something we’ve covered.
Katie Couric: There are all kinds of theories from ultra-processed food to obesity to a sedentary lifestyle to lack of fiber, too much sugar. So there are a lot of things, a lot of arguments to have a healthy diet and to exercise regularly, but there are also other things that people are looking at. They’re looking at microplastics, they’re looking at maybe how it’s perhaps disrupting your microbiome. They’re looking at “forever chemicals” and if they’re having an impact… The over-prescription perhaps of antibiotics for viral infections that don’t respond to antibiotics, to even looking at screen time—is that somehow affectin
On the weekend of the annual PGA Cologuard Classic, the celebrated journalist and advocate has a new message for younger Americans.
The post Katie Couric Says Knowing These 3 Things Could Help You Catch Colon Cancer Before It’s Too Late appeared first on The Healthy.
