Katie Couric

Monday, November 24, 2003

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is as traditional as a game of touch football and pumpkin pie, which is why America's favorite morning-show personality, NBC's "Today" show co-anchor Katie Couric, will be hosting the parade's live telecast Thursday at 9 a.m. on NBC along with Al Roker and Matt Lauer. Couric, also a contributing anchor for "Dateline NBC," has come a long way from her humble beginnings as a desk assistant for the ABC News bureau in her hometown of Washington D.C. Though she is one of the highest-paid television personalities, making a reported $13 million annual salary, she has had her share of tragedy, losing both her husband and a sister to cancer. She launched the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance to end colon cancer through education and research. She lives in Manhattan with her daughters, Carrie and Ellie.

Q. Do you ever long for the days when you could just watch the Thanksgiving Day parade like everyone else?

A. Yes, while my mom was cooking pumpkin pies and I was sitting in a nice, warm kitchen. I mean, I love doing it. But every year, I'm like, would I rather sleep in and, you know, just start cooking a turkey and be in my flannel pj's until noon? Then, on the other hand, I think I'd miss being down on 34th Street. My kids are of an age where they still enjoy it, and I always say this is my last year, and then I change my mind. I think this might be my grand finale.

Q. Where will you and your daughters spend Thanksgiving?

A. We are going to see my sister in Boston. So as soon as the parade is over, we jump on the shuttle. My parents are going to be up there as well, and my nephew and niece. So it will be a really nice family dinner.

Q. Will you eventually make the move and graduate to prime time?

A. Oh, I don't know, maybe at some point. I think most people see that as a natural progression. I don't think of it as graduating anymore because I think working on a morning show is so important. So many people are getting their news in the morning that I don't really see prime time as a graduation per se. But obviously at some point in my career, I will want to tackle new challenges. I'm not sure what they are or when it will be.

Q. Whose idea was the sleeker, sexier Katie?

A. You know, I don't think it was anybody's idea. I grew my hair out. It was turning gray, so I highlighted it. It was sort of a natural evolution. Changing with the times. I think probably it's the New York influence; most people in Washington are a little more conservative. It wasn't like, oh gosh, I'm going to become sleeker and sexier -- I don't even know if I am.

Q. Has fame changed you?

A. It can't help but change you slightly. But the center of my universe is my children, my home life. While I work very hard and I'm very competitive, I think that it's my family that keeps me grounded. I also think that you can't help but change as you go through life. It's hard to say what changes you, whether it's my husband's death or being on national television and being a recognizable face. People who say, "Oh no, not at all," are just kidding themselves. I certainly have a great foundation and a really loving family. Great parents. Good values that have stuck with me through the years and have helped me keep my feet on the ground. Also success that came a little later in life. It wasn't as if I graduated from college and somebody plucked me out of the crowd and said, "We're going to make you a star." It has been the result of years of hard work. Certainly my personal tragedies have only reinforced what I've known all along is really important in life.

Q. What is dating like the second time around?

A. It's different. When you are younger you have a blank slate and almost everybody else does. You come to relationships with different life experiences now. Some people call it "baggage"; I choose to call it "life experiences" [laughing]. So it is different. But I think relationships can be as fulfilling. But they are different, and everybody is shaped by their own experiences.

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