A quarter-century later, the impact of Sept. 11, 2001, is still visceral. In some ways, that's a good thing — it means we haven't forgotten the pain of that tragic day.
In observance of this year's milestone anniversary of the terror attacks that rocked the nation, KCM has been examining the ways the losses affected our culture. We've analyzed how 9/11 changed travel; considered the long-term health effects of first responders' heroism; shared a powerful personal story from the offices of Cantor Fitzgerald, where a staggering 658 employees were killed; and looked back at the unforgettable photos that still seem as shocking now as they did then.
I've also been thinking about my own experience on this day that lives in infamy. I recently shared my personal memories of covering the attacks live on the air at the TODAY show, and on Sept. 9, I was moved to attend the 9/11 Memorial & Museum's 2026 benefit dinner. With special performances by Bette Midler and Brian Stokes Mitchell, it was an unforgettable evening honoring the people we lost on 9/11 and the Americans who have raised money and awareness through the years.
For everyone who couldn't be there, I wanted to share my remarks below...
Twenty-five years — that’s so hard to believe.
In that time, we’ve witnessed the Friends finale, the beginning of Kelly Clarkson, Juicy Couture, the birth of Facebook, the Blackberry, Mean Girls, the first Black President, the iPhone, the Great Recession, Instagram, One Direction, skinny jeans, Brexit, Covid, K-Pop, Barbenheimer, Labubus, TikTok, and tradwives.
But nothing, of course, would define the last two-and-a-half decades like the morning of Sept. 11.
A day that began with a cerulean sky signaling the promise of fall. The morning that changed all of us forever. For me, it was the most important professional morning of my life. I have never felt a greater sense of responsibility and believe I never will. Broadcasting everything that was happening in real time, through the chaos, confusion, and agonizing uncertainty, was the most difficult assignment of my career. But I have never felt a greater sense of responsibility to the millions of people watching and wondering, what in the world is happening?
I was reporting on it. So many of you were living through it. I am in awe of your strength, your resilience, and your commitment to honor those we lost and to find the will to keep going. To both remember and create a new life for you, your families, and this city.
I will always remember that day — not just for the shocking, harrowing moments, but for the humanity that rose from our unspeakable grief. Healthcare providers of all stripes rushing to area hospitals, families bringing sandwiches and chefs preparing meals for rescue workers at Ground Zero, lemonade stands raising money for firefighters, lines around the block of New Yorkers giving blood, neighbors embracing neighbors, foundations forming to fill in so many gaps. The whole world coming together. The Boys Choir of Harlem singing "We Shall Overcome" at the Prayer for America at Yankee Stadium. President Bush throwing out the first pitch at the World Series at that same stadium. On one of our darkest days, we were guided by the better angels of our nature. And those angels brought us unity, generosity, and healing.
I’m so glad we have a memorial and museum that will forever capture that story. Our story. It is truly one of the most breathtaking and moving places I’ve ever been. It has a profound responsibility, and so do all of us: to pass the story of 9/11 on to the future generations. To our children, our grandchildren, and beyond.
I know I will bring my grandchildren, Jay and Virginia, there when they’re older. I will teach them to remember a day they may have never witnessed, but still, can never forget. And I will explain to them what I saw 25 years ago this week: this incredible city — and the entire world — coming together to take care of each other.
