Katie Couric Reveals Secret Romance in Her New Book

Katie Couric is revealing all in her new memoir Going There. The former Today Show anchor tells of her romance with playwright Neil Simon. Simon is 30 years older than Couric, but it didn’t stop them from nearly going all the way. Couric says just thinking of being with an “icon” was “thrilling.” She first encountered him while covering a press conference for Simon’s 1985 film The Slugger’s Wife, writing that she was “determined to get him to notice” her.

Wearing a white cotton dress and a hot new lipstick, she writes that she “looked pretty cute” and could feel Simon eyeing her as she sat patiently in the first row.  Simon called her the following day.

“I was completely, utterly, and crazily starstruck,” she writes, per a report from Page Six. At the time, Couric was 28 and Simon was 58. She says that Simon behaved like a “smitten schoolboy” during their courtship. Couric admits that his assertiveness was “a bit over the top” but it didn’t stop her from being “flattered” by his attention.

After their second day, she says they went back to Simon’s hotel room where they began making out. But things stopped quickly. Apparently, it was a little to hot and heavy for Simon that his health got in the way. “Neil Simon’s three-word explanation: ‘Blood pressure medication,’” she writes. “It was strange, being with someone 30 years older,” Couric continues, “but I was all for new experiences.”

Simon ended up marrying Diane Lander in 1987. Following their split, he married actress Elaine Joyce in 1999 and remained with her until his death in 2018. Couric married Jay Monahan from 1989 – 1998. She later wed John Molner in 2014.

Couric’s book will be available for purchase on Oct. 26. In a statement to the publication, Little, Brown and Company said: “We’re excited for people to read Katie’s book, which is heartfelt, hilarious and very honest. Readers will get the complete story from Katie herself about her incredible life and career.”