Katie Couric, 69, revealed that a frightening health scare in June was not a stroke but a rare condition called transient global amnesia (TGA). The veteran journalist detailed the incident in a Substack post titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember” and on Instagram, writing, “I woke up on a normal Saturday. By that afternoon, I couldn’t tell you the month, the year, or who was president.”
What Happened on June 27
Couric described June 27 as a typical day. She walked through the farmers’ market in Aspen, bought fresh fruit and kettle corn, and grabbed an iced coffee. She then went home to meet her husband, financier John Molner. The couple drove to the Aspen Institute for the Aspen Ideas Festival, where Couric was scheduled to appear. She recalled being excited to get a “really good” hot dog from a stand for lunch. “That’s the last thing I remember,” she wrote.
Couric completed both of her panel appearances but remembers “nothing” from either. “I have no idea what we talked about or what occurred when the panels ended,” she explained. Everything after 2024 was a blank in her memory.
Hospital Visit and Diagnosis
Molner took Couric to the hospital because she felt weak and dizzy and seemed “out of it” and “definitely not all there.” Doctors quizzed her on the date and current president, but Couric “got them wrong.” She said, “I wasn’t sure of the month. I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president.” She also could not remember that she had a new granddaughter, born at the end of May.
Molner wrote in Couric’s newsletter that he became more concerned when his wife “reintroduced herself to the nurses every time they came into the room.” He added, “I felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day as she repeatedly asked me the same questions.” Hospital staff initiated “stroke protocol,” but an MRI ruled out a stroke.
Further evaluation led to a diagnosis of transient global amnesia (TGA). Couric’s doctor explained, “which means you lost your short-term memory. It will return tomorrow. You are safe!” Couric cited a 2023 article in the New England Journal of Medicine that says “the typical case is characterized by a sudden, complete inability to retain new information, lasting for several hours, in a middle-aged or older person, with preservation of alert and all other cognitive functions.”
Insights on Transient Global Amnesia
In a follow-up Instagram post, Couric said she received more details from renowned neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter, who explained the condition, symptoms, possible causes, and more. She added in her Substack post, “The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the record button.”
Couric reflected, “While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
