Katie Couric was Diagnosed with Amnesia

It was a scary moment for the perky one. Former Today anchor and television news veteran Katie Couric revealed that she suffered a frightening health scare late last month that left her hospitalized and temporarily convinced she was having a stroke.

Writing in her Substack newsletter, the 69-year-old anchor detailed a bizarre medical event that occurred while she was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado on Saturday, June 27. Couric says she was excited to grab a hot dog for lunch, but everything after that went completely blank. Despite successfully participating in two different panels at the festival later that day, she has absolutely no memory of doing so.

Her husband, John Molner, was alerted by an intern that Couric wasn't feeling well and rushed her to Aspen Valley Hospital. When doctors began asking basic orientation questions, Couric realized the severity of the situation. She couldn't recall the month, thought the year was 2024 instead of 2026, and told medical staff that Joe Biden was still the president.

Hospital staff immediately initiated stroke protocols and ordered an emergency MRI. Fortunately, the scan ruled out a stroke or a seizure. Doctors instead diagnosed Couric with Transient Global Amnesia (TGA), a rare, temporary condition that halts the brain's ability to form new short-term memories.

While the episode cleared up by late evening and her memory functions returned to normal, Couric noted that a few hours of that June afternoon will permanently remain a black hole. She expressed immense relief that the "freaky" incident wasn't a stroke, though it certainly gave everyone around her quite a scare.