Katie Couric ‘Burned So Many Bridges’ During TV Career, Per ‘Page Six’
Katie Couric was once a Today show darling, a daytime talk show queen, and even the first woman to anchor a nightly network evening news broadcast on her own. But even with an impressive resume that includes past employment at all of the major television networks, insiders say Couric would be hard pressed to ever score a TV job again.
Couric suffered a blow in 2012 when her longtime friend Jeff Zucker quit as producer of her daytime talk show, Katie, for a job at CNN. In a new interview, an insider told Page Six that when Zucker left for a lucrative job at CNN, Katie felt abandoned by him and their 20-year friendship took a hit.
“They came up together and had their greatest success together. But instead of being gracious, she was awful to him. She will never get on CNN.”
Other sources allege that on her way up to the top, Katie Couric made a few enemies. One insider said that after having worked at ABC, NBC, and CBS, Couric “can’t get a job on TV” because “she’s burned so many bridges.”
Of course, this description of Couric is a far cry from the perky morning show host fans have grown to know and love.
Katie Couric writing a book because ‘she can’t get a job on TV’ https://t.co/LImL5UfezV pic.twitter.com/TBsbNU5T59
— Page Six (@PageSix) March 5, 2019
Katie Couric worked for NBC News from 1989 to 2006, then moved to CBS News to take the prestigious job once held by Walter Cronkite. The network heavily promoted Couric’s historic arrival and she made her debut as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric on September 5, 2006. Couric later jumped to ABC News from 2011 to 2014, during which time she also hosted her syndicated daytime talk show, Katie.
Couric is no longer attached to a Big Three network and is instead working on her memoir, which is expected to be published in 2021. The book will be titled Unexpected and it will cover all aspects of Couric’s life, including the sexism she allegedly encountered as a female on network news.
Publisher Little, Brown and Company teased that Couric once endured a high-ranking executive commenting on her bra size in front of “the top brass during an editorial meeting.” And as the first solo female evening-news anchor at CBS, Couric will write about “the less-than-warm welcome she received upon her arrival from some of her colleagues.”
As for the alleged “fallout” with Jeff Zucker, the Page Six source’s story is far different than what Couric herself said about her longtime friend when he moved to CNN. Couric and Zucker both joined NBC’s Today show in 1989 and turned the show into a morning news powerhouse with co-anchor Matt Lauer. The longtime friends worked together for six years then reunited when Zucker oversaw the launch of Katie in 2012. When Zucker opted to jump ship for CNN, Couric issued a statement of support for him, per Adweek.
“I’m very excited that Jeff has such a wonderful opportunity at CNN and equally excited for CNN,” Couric said in 2012. “I’m also grateful that Jeff has been so instrumental in getting our show off to such a strong start and look forward to working with the fantastic staff we’ve assembled and building on the strong foundation we’ve created.”
Katie Couric’s talk show ended in 2014 after two seasons.
