For Katie Couric, Stand Up To Cancer fundraiser 'even more meaningful' after breast cancer diagnosis

Hollywood stars will continue to "Stand Up To Cancer" amid the strike-filled summer of 2023.

Justin Timberlake and his wife Jessica Biel, Elizabeth Banks, Don Cheadle, Danai Gurira, Ken Jeong, Julianne Moore and Jimmy Smits will join President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Saturday's "Stand Up To Cancer" telethon to raise money for cancer research.

The one-hour special (8 EDT/PDT) airs across 50 platforms, including all four major networks, several streaming services and a livestream on social media sites from Twitch to TikTok.

Titled “How It Started, How It’s Going," the event honors SU2C’s cancer research impact, powered by the star-filled biennial televised specials while looking ahead, says co-founder Katie Couric, a former "Today" host and anchor of the "CBS Evening News."

"We want to celebrate, but we don't want to take our foot off the gas," says Couric, 66. "The numbers are still horrendous. This year, 1.9 million people will be diagnosed with cancer. If cancer hasn't happened to a person or someone they love, it likely will during their lifetime."

For Couric, the 'Stand Up' special is even more personal

Couric is keenly aware of the disturbing statistics around the country's second leading cause of death, behind only heart disease. Inspired by the colon cancer diagnosis and death at age 42 of her husband Jay Monahan, father of the couple's daughters Caroline and Ellie, Couric studied up on the killer disease.

"Every time I have an experience with cancer, I treat it like a reporter," says Couric. She famously broadcast her own 2000 colonoscopy on "Today," leading to a surge of colonoscopies known as the "Katie Couric Effect."

"After my husband Jay died in 1998, I became the nagging fish wife of colonoscopies and other cancer screenings," says Couric. "And last year I was the lucky beneficiary of early detection."

In September, Couric announced in an article on KatieCouric.com titled "Why Not Me," that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer on June 21 following a regular mammogram.

"I've been vigilant about my screening, even though, like many women during the pandemic, I was six months late," says Couric. "But my breast radiologist was able to detect my cancer very early at stage 1A. It was very shocking. I was like, 'Seriously, God, are you kidding me?'"

Last summer, Couric underwent a successful lumpectomy, an operation to remove the tumor and surrounding area, followed by radiation treatment in the fall. To prevent a recurrence of the disease, Couric continues to take aromatase inhibitors that suppress estrogen, which can fuel the growth of breast cancer cells.

"The prognosis, knocking on wood, is very good," says Couric. "Because that is the goal of screening, to identify it early."

Saturday's special is the first fundraiser since Couric's own ordeal began.

"It's always been incredibly meaningful for me to be a part of 'Stand Up To Cancer,' " says Couric. "It was even more meaningful this go round because of my personal experience last summer."

'Stand Up To Cancer' is 'scaled-down' in 2023

The telecast will continue Couric's message about the importance of early cancer screening ‒ "We still have real work to do, especially for women" ‒ but won't dwell on her own story, she says. "The show is just an hour, and we have many stories to tell," she says.

The program is "scaled down" this year due to the dual strikes by Hollywood actors and writers, says Couric. Organizers will incorporate celebrity-filled comedic skits from past years to increase the star power. The program was taped (it has aired live in past years), so viewers will not call into stars manning phone banks to take pledges.

The more "intimate" show will include inspiring survivor stories, including from TV personality Maria Menounos, who revealed in May that she beat pancreatic cancer after an early diagnosis. There will be a spotlight on scientists discussing research funded by the organization that has already contributed to the development of nine new cancer therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

"I hope people who can't watch Saturday's broadcast, find it in their hearts to support our scientists after watching them on YouTube," says Couric.

Through 15 years and eight TV specials, the fundraiser ‒ started by Couric, producer Sherry Lansing and late producer Laura Ziskin, among others ‒ has raised critical awareness and $746 million in donations. The charity's success has been a crowning achievement for Couric, who married her second husband, financier John Molner, in 2014.

"Other than my kids, this is my proudest accomplishment," says Couric. "I'm enormously proud of what we've accomplished over the last 15 years. But there's still so much we still have to do, so much wood to chop."