Veteran journalist Katie Couric has once again married humor and health advocacy, this time by parodying Sydney Sweeney’s headline-making American Eagle jeans campaign. Instead of promoting “great” jeans, Couric used the cheeky setup to deliver a PSA.
Katie Couric uses Sydney Sweeney’s ad for PSA
Katie Couric is no stranger to using her platform for health advocacy. Two decades after her groundbreaking, televised colonoscopy on the TODAY show—a segment that sparked a 20% surge in screenings known as the “Katie Couric Effect”—she is once again pushing for preventative care. This time, she’s partnering with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort production company for a campaign titled “Lead From Behind.”
The new PSA directly mimics the aesthetic of Sydney Sweeney’s ad, which focused on “great jeans.” The ad opens with Couric lying in a hospital bed, dressed in a denim jacket and speaking directly to the camera. “Speaking of jeans, did you know the majority of people who develop colon cancer are not genetically predisposed to the disease?” she asks, before encouraging everyone 45 and older to schedule a screening. With a playful wink to her past broadcast moment, she quips, “Mine are televised.”
Couric later shared that she had a fantastic time filming the spot with Reynolds’ “clever and talented” team. She embraced the opportunity to poke fun at herself, noting the unusual amount of makeup she wore for the shoot. “I tried to be a little fetching and a little seductive, which was also pretty funny,” Couric quipped.
The PSA also reflects Couric’s long-standing commitment to cancer awareness. After losing her husband Jay Monahan to colon cancer in 1998, she became one of the most visible advocates for prevention and early detection. Couric believes that because the public understood her “pure motives” born from tragedy, her initial advocacy had a greater impact.
Couric believes comedy makes the message stick. “I hope it’ll get people talking, and more importantly, I hope it will get people calling their doctors and making appointments,” she said. (via USA Today)
