The longtime journalist, 64, ends her stint as a guest host on Friday after spending two weeks at the podium. The amount donated equals the cumulative winnings of the contestants who competed during her time as a host.
Couric, who was the first-ever woman to host the show, previously told PEOPLE the gig has long been on her bucket list, but it was made all the more special because she’s raising awareness and funds specifically for pancreatic cancer research. The disease took both the life of her sister, Emily, in 2001 at age 54, and oficonicJeopardy!host Alex Trebeklast November, at age 80.
Carol Kaelson/Quadra Productions
“TheJeopardy!folks were matching the winnings for my time on the show, so I was able to contribute a substantial amount of money to Stand Up to Cancer, and specifically, the pancreatic cancer dream team,” Couric said. “They are focused on pancreatic cancer research, so I did that in honor of Alex and Emily.”
She added that she also hoped to raise awareness aboutcolon cancer screening— her late husband, Jay Monahan, died from the disease at age 42 in 1998.
As for how she liked her time as a guest host, Couric admitted that it was rather nerve-wracking.
“I was a nervous wreck, honestly,” she said, noting that she’s never done anything like it before. “There are a lot of moving parts behind the scenes, things you need to figure out. It’s complicated! It requires a lot of multitasking.”
“But it was so much fun,” she added.
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Anderson Cooper,Savannah Guthrie,Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Green Bay Packers quarterbackAaron Rodgers, actressMayim Bialikand journalist Bill Whitaker have all also beentapped to host the quiz showthis year.
source: people.com
