Katie Couric lost her short-term memory for a day in a “freaky” stroke scare.
The journalist detailed the terrifying incident in a Substack post titled, “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” in which she says the day it occurred began as any other.
“It was Saturday, June 27, 2026. But when I was asked the month, the year, and who was president, I got them wrong. I wasn’t sure of the month. I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president. Let me explain,” she began.
The 69-year-old detailed being in Aspen and starting the day by visiting a farmer’s market to pick up a few items, including an iced coffee, peaches, kettle corn and a “cute straw hat.”
When she returned to her in-law’s condo where she was staying, she got dressed for an afternoon at the Aspen Ideas Festival, where she was scheduled to speak at two panels.
“I decided to wear a white linen suit, a navy and white knit sleeveless shirt, and my new hat,” Couric recalled.
When her husband, financier John Molner, returned home from the gym, the two drove to the campus of the Aspen Institute, where Couric was excited to hit the hot dog stand for lunch.
“That’s the last thing I remember,” she revealed.
Despite completing both of her panel appearances, the Katie Couric Media founder remembers “nothing.”
“I have no idea what we talked about or what occurred when the panels ended,” she admitted.
Molner — who recounted in the Substack what Couric couldn’t remember — explained he took his wife to Aspen Valley Hospital as she seemed “out of it.” He also explained she felt weak and dizzy.
The initial examination consisted of doctors quizzing Couric about the date and current president — which she answered incorrectly.
In another concerning twist, she couldn’t remember the existence of her newborn granddaughter, Virginia.
As hospital staff initiated “stroke protocol,” Molner wrote that Couric “reintroduced herself to the nurses every time they came into the room.”
Due to her troubling behavior, she underwent a brain MRI, which ruled out a stroke, but diagnosed her with transient global amnesia.
“Which means you lost your short-term memory,” Couric’s doctor explained to her in a note. “It will return tomorrow. You are safe!”
Transient global amnesia is an episode of confusion that comes on suddenly in a person who is otherwise alert, per the Mayo Clinic. This confused state isn’t caused by a more common neurological condition, such as epilepsy or stroke.
“So for me, from about noon on Saturday until at least 7 p.m., what happened will stay in a big, black hole,” Couric wrote.
The former “Today” show host also noted that she doesn’t believe she experienced any of the common causes of the condition, which include intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or physiological strain.
“I can say with confidence that none of those activities brought on my TGA.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself. All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’
“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious,” she concluded, reflecting on the incident.
“So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
