Katie Couric says she had transient global amnesia episode
Couric wrote that she briefly could not identify the date or president during an episode in Aspen tied to a rare memory condition.
By Priya Raghavan · Science Reporter
2 min read
Katie Couric said she recently experienced transient global amnesia, a rare condition that can cause sudden memory loss while a person remains aware of who they are. The episode drew attention because Couric wrote that she could not correctly identify the month, the year or the president during a day in Aspen.
Couric, the 69-year-old veteran journalist and former “Today” anchor, described the incident in a Substack post, according to NBC News. She wrote that it happened Saturday, June 27, 2026.
“But when I was asked the month, the year, and who was president, I got them wrong,” Couric wrote, according to NBC News. She said she was unsure of the month, believed it was 2024 and thought Joe Biden was president.
Couric wrote that the day began at a farmers market in Aspen, where she bought iced coffee, peaches, nectarines, kettle corn and a straw hat, NBC News reported. Later, as her husband, John Molner, drove her to the Aspen Ideas Festival, she said her memory failed.
What the condition involves
The National Institutes of Health describes transient global amnesia as a sudden onset of memory loss that usually lasts several hours. The NIH says patients typically have retrograde amnesia, affecting recall of past events, and pronounced anterograde amnesia, affecting the ability to form new memories.
According to the NIH, people with the condition retain their sense of identity and do not show other neurological or cognitive deficits. The agency says they generally remain cooperative and can name objects, with no history of trauma or epilepsy tied to the episode.
The NIH says symptoms last from one to 24 hours and tend to occur later in the day rather than after waking. The agency says the condition affects an estimated 3.4 to 10.4 people per 100,000 each year.
For people age 50 and older, the NIH estimates the rate is higher, at 23.5 to 32 cases per 100,000 people per year. Couric is in that higher-risk age group, according to the age reported by NBC News.
The NIH says repeat episodes are uncommon after symptoms resolve. NBC News reported that recurrence is rare, though possible.
Couric’s account focused on the sudden confusion she felt during the Aspen episode and the specific answers she gave incorrectly. NBC News reported that she framed the experience as frightening because of how abruptly her memory changed during an otherwise ordinary day.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.