Fans Wonder What Happened to Katie Couric's First Husband as She Honors Him on Their Anniversary

Katie Couric honored her late husband with an Instagram post on what would have been the couple's 36th wedding anniversary. The former Today anchor was married to Jay Monahan for 10 years before his death.

Katie Couric shared the sweet post on June 10, and she also thanked her current husband, financier John Molner.

"Today, June 10th, would have been our (gulp!) 36th wedding anniversary. We were married for 10 years before Jay died. This is a sad day for me, but also a day of gratitude."

"Although our time together ended far too soon, our love endures, especially in our remarkable daughters," she added. "We miss you, Jay—every day, but especially on the important milestones where your absence feels so acute. Happy anniversary to you, wherever you may be. And a special thank you to @johnmolner, who understands there is room in my heart for both of them."

Katie Couric's first husband, Jay Monahan, died of colon cancer at the age of 42, per People. The couple married in 1989 and had two children, Ellie and Carrie. Katie spoke candidly about her late husband's death during an interview with the magazine in 2021 while promoting her memoir, Going There.

She spoke of Jay's courage while facing death.

"I was so worried about letting go of hope, because I didn't want Jay to spend whatever time he had left just waiting to die," she said. "I think it takes extraordinary courage to be able to face death, and I think I was too scared, honestly. I did everything I could to keep Jay alive. Looking back, I wish I had done a better job helping him die."

Katie also shared details of the couple's relationship, including Jay's ability to make her feel safe under any circumstances.

"He always made me feel safe," she said. "Whether he was guiding me on the dance floor, or explaining what was happening if there was turbulence on the airplane. Because he'd gone to flight school, he'd be like, 'Right now the flaps are doing this.' And he was funny."

Jay was later diagnosed with stage four metastatic colon cancer, and Katie said "It was a really scary time for everybody."

Katie famously underwent a colonoscopy on air to bring awareness to colon cancer after Jay's death. The on-air segment led to what's known as "The Katie Couric Effect," a nationwide rise in colonoscopies, per Today.

She still has colonoscopies and even had a screening with her current husband to continue to bring awareness about the importance of early detection.

"OK, listen up friends! Molner and I had his and hers colonoscopies on Friday," she wrote in a 2019 post. "They found TWO polyps during mine! These have the potential to develop into cancer, and that’s why screening is SO IMPORTANT! (Molner got an all clear!) Thank you to the wonderful Dr Felice Schnoll-Sussman, the head of the Jay Monahan Center at @nyphospital and your entire fantastic team for nipping them in the bud (literally) and for honoring Jay’s memory by helping so many patients like us."

"Even if it means spending your days up to your elbows in ... well, never mind," she joked. "But please get screened, everyone! Yeah, the prep isn’t that fun, but it’s A LOT better than being diagnosed with colon cancer!!! #colonoscopy #getscreened #callyourdoctor #matchymatchy P.S. Did you all know the American Cancer Society has lowered the screening age to 45? So get your butts to the doctor!"