Many people remember when Katie Couric’s first husband Jay Monahan passed away tragically from colon cancer in 1998 at the young age of 42. The couple had been married for nine years, having wed in 1989 (via Good Housekeeping). They welcomed two daughters together, and by all accounts, had a very happy life. About Monahan’s passing, the longtime newswoman has said, “I wish that I had the courage to really talk to my husband about the fact that he was probably going to die. It was too terrifying. I think that prevented me… from ever really saying goodbye” (via Fox News).

It would be years before Couric found love again. She notably dated Boston Red Sox owner Tom Werner and musician Chris Botti (via USA Today). But then, in 2012, the mom of two was single and ready to mingle, asking a friend to set her up with a doctor. “And so she thought about it and she said, ‘We don’t really know a doctor, but we do know this banker named John Molner.’ And I said, ‘Does he have a pulse?'” Couric joked (via People).

Katie Couric fell for John Molner right away

Couric ended up going out with Molner and said about their meeting, “He had me at hello.” She added about her soon-to-be second husband, “He’s just got this incredibly dry and wry sense of humor, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously. And he’s just fun to be around.”

The couple got engaged at the beach the following year — much to Couric’s surprise (via People). “He said that there was a reason he’d brought me there to the beach, and that he loved me and was committed to me, and I said, ‘Yeah, I know that, you didn’t have to bring me here to tell me that.’ Finally he said, ‘Couric, I’m trying to propose to you,’ and I was stunned.”

Still, she said about heading down the aisle again, “I knew that I wanted this. I made it a priority, and I pursued it with some purpose.” That being said, she admitted about waiting to marry again that she hadn’t wanted to enter into “a relationship that wouldn’t have been good for [my kids] or good for me in the long run.”

Katie Couric and John Molner are now happily married

The couple got married in 2014 at their home in the Hamptons (via Today). It’s worth noting that Molner is actually younger than the seasoned anchor by six years (go Katie!) and has two children as well from a previous relationship (via Heavy). They now live in New York, and seem to be very much in love, having blended their families. Sharing a wedding photo in 2020, Couric wrote about her husband, “Who knows how long I’ve loved you. You know I love you still. Will I wait a lonely lifetime? If you wanted to I will. Happy anniversary Molner. You are a gift. (Handsome, whip smart a great cook and funny too! Now we just need to work on your dance moves!”

But Couric still honors her first husband and the father of her children. In another Instagram post, the former Today show anchor shared a photo of Monahan with his daughters, writing, “Jay, We love you, miss you and hold you in our hearts. We celebrate and remember you this Father’s Day. You would be so proud of your girls.”

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