Yahoo Finance Katie Couric Kicks Off Her 2-Week Stint as Guest Host of Jeopardy!
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Katie Couric has taken her place at the lectern!
On Monday, the award-winning journalist kicked off her two-week stint as guest host of Jeopardy!, making history as the first woman to take on the position. Couric, 64, has joined a lineup of celebrities who are filling in at the podium following Alex Trebek's death from pancreatic cancer in November.
"Welcome to Jeopardy! everyone. It is such a thrill to be here guest-hosting a show I've watched and loved for years, and of course a real honor to help out as all of us recover from the loss of the truly irreplaceable Alex Trebek," Couric said in the above footage, courtesy of Jeopardy Productions, Inc., as she took the stage on Monday.
Couric's hosting gig includes a charity aspect — a donation equal to the contestants' cumulative winnings will go to Stand Up To Cancer, an organization she co-founded in 2008 that "funds and develops the newest and most promising cancer treatments to help patients today," according to its website.
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In her opener, she announced that the show would "be matching the winnings from each show I guest host and donating that amount to the pancreatic cancer dream team from Stand Up to Cancer. So thank you Jeopardy!" she continued.
"Now let's have some fun! Are you ready contestants? Let's do this thing. Here we go," she concluded.
Her first episode aired on International Women's Day, which the show celebrated on Twitter in advance of her debut. "We're celebrating #InternationalWomensDay with our guest host @KatieCouric," Jeopardy tweeted alongside a snap of Couric, who will host March 8-19, on set.
We’re celebrating #InternationalWomensDay with our guest host @KatieCouric. pic.twitter.com/OvHPRPSgGh
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 8, 2021
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On Sunday, the competition show released the first images of Couric as host, which showed her at the podium and reviewing files behind the scenes.
"New episodes of Jeopardy! continue this week with guest host #KatieCouric!" the caption said.
The New York Times bestselling author also posted on Instagram on Sunday, sharing a Jeopardy! clue about her upcoming appearance.
Jeopardy/Instagram Katie Couric
"In 2021, this groundbreaking journalist & co-founder of Stand Up to Cancer Became the First Woman to Guest host 'Jeopardy!'" the clue read, with the answer "Who is Katie Couric?" below.
"This happened," she captioned the screenshot, adding the hashtags #whoiskatiecouric, #jeopardy and #seeyoutomorrownight.
RELATED: Ken Jennings Thanks Alex Trebek as His Six Weeks as Jeopardy! Guest Host Comes to an End
The first guest host to take over after longtime host Trebek's final episode aired in December was Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, followed by executive producer Mike Richards.
In addition to Couric, Anderson Cooper, Savannah Guthrie, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, actress Mayim Bialik and journalist Bill Whitaker have all been tapped to host the quiz show.
Jeopardy! airs weeknights (check local listings).
