Real-Life Love
Katie Couric Shares Emotional Tribute to Late Husband on Their 36th Wedding Anniversary
Katie Couric is sharing her gratitude for her late husband, Jay Monahan, on what would have been their 36th anniversary.
The former Today anchor took to Instagram to share photos of Monahan, who died of colon cancer in 1998. She penned a heartfelt message in the caption.
“Although our time together ended far too soon, our love endures, especially in our remarkable daughters,” wrote Couric. Monahan, who was a legal analyst for NBC, fathered Couric’s two children, Ellie and Caroline. “We miss you Jay — every day, but especially on the important milestones where your absence feels so acute.”
In her tribute, Couric also thanked banker John Molner, her husband since 2014, for “understand[ing] there is room in [her] heart for both of them.”
In 2021, Couric opened up about her romance and 10-year marriage with her first husband, as well as their final days together. “I was so worried about letting go of hope, because I didn’t want Jay to spend whatever time he had left just waiting to die,” Couric told People ahead of the release of her memoir, Going There. “I think it takes extraordinary courage to be able to face death, and I think I was too scared, honestly.”
Monahan was diagnosed at 41 and died just nine months later. Their daughters were two and six at the time.
The journalist said, “Writing [her memoir] and remembering Jay and the early days of our courtship — the handsome, young, mischievous Jay I met that freezing January night at a party in northern Virginia — it reminded me of the sheer joy of starting out, starting our lives together.”
“Happy anniversary to you, wherever you may be,” Couric added in her post.
The journalist has been dedicated to raising awareness about colon cancer since her husband’s death. She famously underwent a colonoscopy live on air in March 2000.
