Katie Couric Stars in Hilarious Sydney Sweeney-Esque Colonoscopy Ad

The former ‘Today’ show host pokes fun at her live on-camera procedure

Andre Ellington,

AARP

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Published September 29, 2025

katie couric posing on a medical gurney in a hospital gown and jean jacket

Katie Couric seen in the recent colonoscopy ad spoofing Sydney Sweeney.

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Journalist Katie Couric humorously highlights the importance of colonoscopies in a new ad that satirizes the widely publicized Sydney Sweeney American Eagle “great jeans” campaign from this summer.

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance ad, a collaboration with Ryan Reynolds’ production company, Maximum Effort, opens with the 68-year-old media veteran wearing a hospital gown and a blue jean jacket, a nod to the pun between “jeans” and “genes” that American Eagle uses in the Sweeney ad.

Lying on her side, with the jean jacket off one shoulder, Couric says in a mock seductive tone: “Speaking of jeans, did you know the majority of people who develop colon cancer are not genetically predisposed to the disease?” At that point in the ad, the camera pans out to show two health care workers prepping her for a colonoscopy procedure. “That's why doctors recommend everyone 45 and older get checked,” she adds.

Referencing her groundbreaking televised colonoscopy on Today in 2000, she then quips, “Mine are televised.” The ad ends with one of the two health professionals asking, “Could your camera crew back off, please?” to which Couric, smiling calmly, says, “No.”

Couric called the ad, which is part of the Lead From Behind campaign, “a lot of fun” and said her goal is for people to “call their doctor [and] make an appointment to get screened.”

It’s a cause close to Couric’s heart. In 1998, her husband, Jay Monahan, a former NBC analyst, died of colon cancer, motivating her to raise awareness about colonoscopies through various organizations and charity efforts. After her televised colonoscopy, the scheduling of colonoscopies increased by 20 percent in the following years, a phenomenon known as “The Couric Effect.” She even convinced talk show host Jimmy Kimmel to get a colonoscopy on air in 2018.

Couric returned to Today on Sept. 25 to discuss the ad, stating that she’s “really proud of” her live colonoscopy from 25 years ago when she was still a host on the show.

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“I think that not many people can say someone has come up to you and said, ‘Guess what? Because of you, I’m here today.’ And that’s such an incredibly gratifying thing to happen.”

Couric believes colonoscopies are “one of those things people need reminding of” because “it’s not necessarily on the top of anyone’s to-do list,” she also said in the interview, adding that “Colon cancer can be prevented if it’s detected early. That’s one of the reasons I really want to continue to remind people to get screened, because early detection saves lives. It’s as simple as that.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly 30 percent of individuals ages 50 to 75 are not current with their colorectal cancer screenings. For adults ages 45 to 49, this percentage is significantly higher, according to one study.

If someone feels anxious about getting a colonoscopy, AARP has an article on the steps you can take to make the process easier. These include informing your doctor if you have constipation, adjusting your diet, considering an afternoon appointment and discussing alternative preparation options with your doctor.

AARP also offers additional resources on colonoscopies, including whether you actually need one and seven other screening tests for colorectal cancer.