Katie Couric Book Revelations: 'Going There' Memoir Bombshells

Katie Couric left no stone unturned in her new memoir, Going There, shedding light on many experiences throughout her long-standing career in journalism and in her personal life.

“I couldn’t imagine writing something that wasn’t honest and radically transparent,” Couric, 64, told Today host Savannah Guthrie while stopping by the studio in October on her press tour.

“I didn’t want to do a victory lap or my greatest hits,” she explained. “I think I’ve had an extraordinary life. I’ve had incredible opportunities … I’ve had huge successes. I’ve had some pretty public failures, too.”

The TV personality said she felt compelled to keep it real in her 500-page book, and that meant including chapters that were likely to evoke an emotional response.

“I wanted to share the messy parts, what real life was like,” Couric added.

In her tell-all memoir, the Virginia native reflected on her reaction to the sexual assault scandal involving her former Today coanchor Matt Lauer in November 2017, as well as her first meeting with Prince Harry and her own past struggles with an eating disorder.

In hindsight, the broadcaster said being a regular fixture on television “made my dreams come true,” according to an excerpt from the book’s prologue. “But it is not the whole story, and it is not the whole me. The book is.”

The Katie Couric Media founder wrote about how her rise to fame impacted her first marriage to husband Jay Monahan, noting it caused a shift in their dynamic when she became a permanent coanchor on Today in 1991.

She explained how the extra attention “took up residence in [her] marriage [to Monahan] like an overbearing houseguest.”

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Couric not only shared revelations about her career, but also detailed “the shock and trauma of losing her husband to stage 4 colon cancer when he was just 42,” leaving her a widow and mom to their two daughters, Ellie and Caroline.

The death of Couric’s sister Emily from pancreatic cancer just three years later was another hardship she experienced soon after losing her husband.

Find out some of Katie Couric’s biggest revelations in Going There below.

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First Marriage

Couric, who is now remarried to husband John Molner, wrote about the strain she felt in her first marriage to Monahan when her star was on the rise.

“The bigger I got — the more I was photographed and splashed across magazine covers and gossiped about — the smaller he felt,” she penned. They wed in 1989 and were together until Monahan’s death from colon cancer in 1998.

Matt Lauer Controversy

The acclaimed presenter readdressed the allegations that caused Lauer, 63, to be fired from the NBC morning show in November 2017.

Couric wrote that Lauer was outwardly “less of a chauvinist” than her former Today coanchor, noting he was “very discreet” in the way he conducted himself.

“Matt and I both knew our success was built on the perception that we were like brother and sister, and between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., we were.”

“I know Matt thinks I betrayed him, and that makes me sad,” she added in another part. “But he betrayed me too by how he behaved behind closed doors at the show we both cared about so much.”

She’s Ok With the Book Ruffling Some Feathers

Couric writes about upsetting the late Joan Rivers with a question about plastic surgery, as well as her thoughts on celebrity chef Martha Stewart, who served five months behind bars for conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding and making false statements to federal investigators in March 2004.

“A few years and some healthy humbling (prison will do that) to develop a sense of humor,” wrote Couric.

“My goal in life isn’t to please people anymore,” Couric also explained about why she was ready to share her story with the world now. “I think if you’re likable, sometimes you are like milquetoast. You don’t necessarily stand for anything. You don’t rub people the wrong way because you [don’t] have strong opinions, and honestly, I think if you’re just likable, you’re not very interesting.”

If you or anyone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.

If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, contact the National Eating Disorders Association at 1-800-931-2237.