30 Secrets & Scandals Katie Couric Couldn't Hide

Katie Couric is known for being one of the biggest names in daytime television after working in the industry for over 40 years – but there's a lot the public doesn't know about her.

A 2005 article from The New York Times accused the former NBC star of transforming from "America's girl next door" into the "mercurial diva down the hall" after she became a fierce, on-air talent. The outlet also called out a "strained chemistry" among her colleagues on the show, and even described Couric as having a "Marxist-style cult of popularity" as a result of her massive following.

After making a salary of $15 million a year, the famous news anchor became the world's highest-paid TV personality for a brief period of time until being overshadowed by Ellen Degeneres, Dr. Phil and more, per Forbes. She was also the highest-salaried female news staffer in history before Megyn Kelly forged ahead of her in 2017.

In her memoir, which is set to come out in late October, Couric also exposed her real thoughts on ex-con Martha Stewart – and she didn't shy away from low blows and prison jokes.

Cuoric reportedly opened up about her experience at a dinner party at Jeffrey Epstein's townhouse, which she described as "Eyes Wide Shut with a twist – creepy chandeliers and body-part art."

She also called out Prince Andrew for allegedly appearing to be quite friendly with the convicted sex abuser.

Couric was apparently not welcomed by everyone at CBS when she joined the network in 2006. According to an article from The New York Times in 2011, Judy Muller claimed that "[Couric's] hiring has often been described as a Hail Mary pass...I think it was much more akin to throwing a grenade. In an effort to try to create something completely new, CBS management just blew up the place."

Couric also blasted Deborah Norville and admitted to having animosity toward her, even after replacing her on Today in 1991. She slammed her predecessor, claiming that morning viewers didn't take a liking to Norville, who she said had a "major relatability problem" because of her "relentless perfection."

Couric labeled Larry King, who died in January, as a creep after she went on a nightmarish date with him.

Couric was once called out for needing moisturizer – on live TV! During a guest appearance on the The Wendy Williams Show, the news anchor tried to show off her shoes, but all attention went immediately to her dry skin.

In 2007, Couric was accused of plagiarism while at CBS when a video essay she did was revealed to be copied almost word-for-word from a Wall Street Journal column. The producer on the piece was fired, but Couric maintained that she had no previous knowledge of any form of plagiarism for the story, per Routers.

Couric also found herself entangled in the Matt Lauer scandal amid the #MeToo movement. In 2017, her former co-host was fired from NBC following sexual misconduct allegations.

According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter back in 2012, the Katie Couric media founder was apparently not so nice to her co-anchor, Ann Curry. The article claimed that Couric and Curry didn't have the best of relationships and that Couric would even tease her for her wardrobe choices. Even if she was just joking, "Curry took those remarks 'badly.'"

Couric reportedly has a longtime rivalry with Diane Sawyer, who is known for a myriad of gigs, including Good Morning America and 20/20.

According to The Daily Beast, Couric once accused Sawyer of sleeping around to get to the top after she beat her out for an interview. "I wonder who she blew this time to get it," Couric allegedly mumbled.

Couric also claimed in her new memoir that she had a run-in with the Duke of Sussex, where the royal reportedly had some bad stenches going on. She said the meeting, which occurred at a polo match in Brazil, must have been during Prince Harry's "wild-oats sowing phase," as she claimed to smell the odor of cigarettes and alcohol "ooze from every pore."

She later responded to the controversy in an essay, writing, "We simply spent too much time on the serious adverse events that have been reported in very rare cases following the vaccine. More emphasis should have been given to the safety and efficacy of the HPV vaccines...my personal view is that the benefits of the HPV vaccine far outweigh its risks."

Her 2016 documentary, Under the Gun, was called out for its editing. A gun rights activist group, Virginia Citizens Defense League, later filed a defamation lawsuit, claiming that the editors of the film had manipulated their conversation with Couric. She later issued an apology on the documentary's website.

After the death of her husband, Couric became outspoken about the importance of cancer screenings. In order to inspire viewers to get their routine colonoscopies, the news anchor underwent the procedure during an episode of Today. The stunt actually caused an increase in people getting the procedure done, which was called "The Couric Effect."

Couric stood in as a two-week guest host on Jeopardy! after the tragic passing of longtime host Alex Trebek in 2020. The reporter's appearance on the show in March made history as the first woman to ever host the game show.

After an appearance on Bill Maher's show, during which Couric slammed GOP congressmen for following Donald Trump, staffers at Jeopardy! claimed that Couric's comments were concerning for producers.

"Jeopardy viewers are quite a traditional bunch, and there's fears she might be too polarizing after this," a source revealed to Page Six at the time. "At the very least, she already appears to have ruled herself out of becoming the permanent host of the show."

Back in March, the news anchor pretended to be caught red-handed with fake secret lover Leslie Jordan. She posted a clip of the pair pretending to hide from paps to her Instagram page.

Couric revealed years ago that she once went on a date with Full House star Bob Saget; however, it didn't lead to much. She recalled on The Howard Stern Show that the actor was "really fun," but she never heard from him afterward.

She also tried going on a date with Survivor host Jeff Probst, but she wasn't impressed with his attire for the evening. "I think he had puka shells on – that was kind of a weird thing," she recalled. She said didn't hear back from him, either.