Veteran journalist Katie Couric has opened up about the challenges she faced as a working mother in the formerly male-dominated world of broadcast news.
Specifically, Couric recalled an incident with her former “Today” show co-host Bryant Gumbel that she described as emblematic of the “sexist attitude” prevalent at the time.
The exchange occurred in 1991 when Katie Couric was preparing to take maternity leave after becoming pregnant with her first child. According to her, Gumbel seemed frustrated and gave her “endless flack” for her upcoming time off.
“I was having my first baby,” she recounted during an appearance on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast. “He was like, ‘Why don’t you just drop it in the field and come back to work right away?’ or something.”
However, Couric did believe that the exchange wasn’t that serious as she thought her co-host to be “goofing on” her, but she still emphasized that the remarks were indicative of a broader “sexist attitude” that permeated the workplace at the time. She described her work environment as being “replete with microaggressions” against female journalists.
“It was a very different environment,” Couric said, drawing a parallel to the Matt Lauer scandal that rocked the “Today” show in 2017. “Lots of fraternization, a polite way of saying interoffice schtupping.”
Despite the challenges she faced, Couric spoke highly of Gumbel’s talent and professionalism, praising him as “a seamless broadcaster” who is “really talented” and “incredibly smart.” However, she also acknowledged that he could be “prickly” and a “complicated guy.”
The incident Katie Couric described occurred during a pivotal moment in her career. She had joined the “Today” show in 1991 and would go on to co-host the program for 15 years alongside Gumbel until his departure in 1997.
