Katie Couric is once again putting colon health in the spotlight — this time with a wink. To mark the 25th anniversary of her televised colonoscopy on TODAY, Couric stars in a new Lead From Behind campaign video from the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Ryan Reynolds’ creative agency, Maximum Effort.
The spoof riffs on Sydney Sweeney’s headline-grabbing American Eagle ad — but below her denim jacket, Couric is swathed in a hospital gown. The tongue-in-cheek swap similarly leans on the clever play between “jeans” and “genes,” but with a more serious twist, reminding viewers that colon cancer doesn’t just run in families. Screening matters for everyone, regardless of genetic history.
To debut the spot, Katie returned to the original scene of the crime: Studio 1A. She appeared on the TODAY Show this morning to launch the campaign, 25 years after her colonoscopy aired on the same show when she was a host. With Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones, Katie discussed her passion for cancer prevention and the intricacies of colon cancer, specifically, which hit close to home when her husband Jay was diagnosed with the disease. “Jay was diagnosed at 41. [My daughter] Ellie has gotten screened at 31. When Carrie turns 31, she will get screened as well,” she shared. “By the way, most cases involve no family history.”
Colon cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the U.S., yet highly preventable with early detection. Couric and the Alliance hope this cheeky send-up will get people laughing, talking — and most importantly, screened. Visit LeadFromBehind.org to take a screening quiz.
