Katie Couric has some seriously “mixed feelings” about taking on the role of grandmother.
“I think 99 percent was, ‘I’m so excited.’ And 1 percent was, ‘Holy sh-t, I’m old enough to be a grandmother,’” Couric, 67, exclusively tells Us Weekly while promoting the Cologuard Classic golf tournament, which spreads awareness for colon cancer prevention. “It’s sort of almost like your life flashes before your eyes.”
Couric announced that her daughter Elinor “Ellie” Monahan was expecting her first baby with husband Mark Dobrosky in December 2023. (Couric shares daughters Ellie, 32, and Caroline “Carrie” Monahan with late husband Jay Monahan, who died of colon cancer in 1998. She tied the knot with John Molner in 2014.)
“To see someone you remember holding as a baby, suddenly having a baby herself, it’s just a slightly surreal experience, I think, especially the first time,” Couric tells Us. “I am absolutely thrilled about it. I cannot convince FatherTime to turn the clock back and so I’m embracing every moment and every minute.”
Truth be told, Couric “can’t wait” for Ellie to welcome her baby. Because the family has yet to learn the little one’s sex, Couric says it’s “truly going to be a surprise.”
“I can’t wait until they say, ‘It’s a boy!’ or ‘It’s a girl!’ in the delivery room because I didn’t find out with my children,” she tells Us. “And I know that gender reveal parties are all the rage, except when they turn into a brush fire. Right? But I feel like there’s so few surprises in life that it’s really fun not knowing.”
When it comes to any advice she’s given her daughter, Couric’s words of wisdom are to “savor every moment and every stage” — but she also wants Ellie to carve her own path.
“I’m not going to be that kind of pushy mom and grandmother,” she explains. “I really believe that less is more when it comes to advice.”
When she’s not preparing for her new title of grandma, Couric is advocating for colon cancer awareness and prevention.
“For me, this is something that I have cared deeply about since I lost my husband, Jay, of the disease when he was 42, now, gosh, 26 years ago, which is hard to believe,” she tells Us ahead of the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Arizona, which was held from March 8 through March 10 and included colon cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. “And so, these are my people here in Tucson, and that’s why I’m so happy to be a part of this.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
