Katie Couric Diagnosed With Amnesia After "Freaky" Incident

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Katie Couric can't remember one of the strangest days of her life.

The investigative journalist detailed a recent health scare—that she coined "The Day I’ll Never Remember"—during which the 69-year-old experienced temporary memory loss, leading her to be diagnosed with transient global amnesia.

"This was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious,” Couric explained in a July 6 Substack post recapping the incident. “Ultimately, I’m relieved—even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”

On June 27, the 60 Minutes alum and husband John Molner began their day at the Aspen Ideas Festival before heading to the Aspen Institute, where Couric was set to speak on two panels. In the newsletter, Couric called grabbing lunch at a hot dog stand "the last thing I remember."

As Molner added to the post, he and one of Couric's interns discovered Couric was "out of it" after completing her speeches, which prompted a visit to Aspen Valley Hospital.

"When I was asked the month, the year, and who was president, I got them wrong," Couric shared, "I wasn’t sure of the month. I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president."

Initially, the doctor told the nurses to "initiate stroke protocol" on Couric, Molner recounted, adding that his wife "reintroduced herself to the nurses every time they came into the room."

But when an MRI cleared the news anchor of any signs of a stroke, she was admitted for further evaluation. So, what caused the sudden severe brain fog?

Couric later got answers from neurologist David Perlmutter about her transient global amnesia, or TGA, diagnosis.

Photo by Bruce Glikas/WireImage

"TGA is a sudden, temporary loss of the ability to form new memories," Perlmutter told Couric for Katie Couric Media. "A person is awake, alert, knows who they are, recognizes family members, and can carry on a conversation, but they can't remember what just happened a few minutes ago."

Perlmutter explained that the cause of this "frightening" but generally reversible condition remains unknown, though there can be warning signs leading up to the onset of TGA.

"Episodes are often preceded by a sudden physical or emotional stress," Perlmutter said. "Common triggers include vigorous exercise, heavy lifting, emotional shock, pain, sexual activity, coughing, or straining."

Keep reading to learn insights about other shocking celebrity health scares.

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