Katie Couric's Daughters Grew Up To Be Gorgeous

Many Americans feel like they know Daytime Emmy Award-winning newscaster Katie Couric, who's one of many morning show hosts who've experienced a major transformation over the years. But beyond her role as a TV personality, she's also a mother. From birth, Couric's daughters have had to share their famous mother as well as their emotional family journey with the world. Like their mother, both girls have their own curious mix of congeniality, earnestness, and career ambition.

Couric's daughters watched their mother pave the way for young women in journalism and television, and eventually found themselves taking advantage of Couric's wisdom. Over the decades, she's taught them by example to embrace both their femininity and intelligence. As she told Glamour, "There are many important things to a rich life; work is just one of them." Couric's daughters, Caroline "Carrie" and Elinor "Ellie" Monahan, have grown up to make a name for themselves in their own right, and continue working hard to make their mother proud.

Pregnant with her first child on the "Today" show in 1991, Katie Couric stated that she planned to take only nine weeks of maternity leave. Though it was not a long absence for a pregnancy, her colleague and co-host Bryant Gumbel certainly didn't appear to understand. Rolling her eyes when Gumbel asked, "Why so long?" as seen in a throwback clip from the show (via YouTube), Couric schooled him on the fact that birthing a baby would be a "major shock" to her body and that she would need time to recover. Of course, we'd assume she also wanted time to bond with her child.

Due to pressure and what she called "implicit bias against moms" (via USA Today), Couric actually ended up taking just four weeks of leave after giving birth to her first daughter, Elinor "Ellie" Tully Monahan, on July 23, 1991. Her second daughter, Caroline "Carrie" Monahan, came less than five years later on January 5, 1996.

Tragedy struck Katie Couric when her husband Jay Monahan, died of colon cancer in 1998. At the time, the couple's daughters, Ellie and Carrie Monahan, were just 5 and 1, respectively. Carrie was at an age where she couldn't understand much, but Ellie was "obsessed with her dad," Couric told Cure Today.

Even while dealing with a "bleak" prognosis and cancer treatment, Couric felt that the most important way to handle the situation was to be honest with the girls about their father's grave illness and to focus on making sure they got through the "horrific ordeal" as well as possible. "I was so surprised that there was nothing in the school system to help children deal with loss," she told the New York Post. So she turned to an organization for advice on how to help them cope.

Jay Monahan's death was surely difficult, but Ellie and Carrie grieved by, for instance, sending balloons to heaven on his birthday. Years later, Ellie penned an essay for HuffPost, writing, "There are moments where I crumble at the thought of my father."

The year 1997 marked "the worst Thanksgiving" for Katie Couric and her family, as she shared in a personal essay for Time. That year, she and her daughters were deep in the throes of Jay Monahan's stage 4 cancer diagnosis, and celebrating the holidays was remarkably sad with a loved one fighting for his life. Couric and her daughters, Ellie and Carrie Monahan, spent that season balancing their fear and pain with an attempt to maintain some spark of holiday spirit. Many Christmases full of joy and laughter have presumably come and gone since Monahan died, but Couric said, "Nearly 20 years later, when I think of that Thanksgiving, it makes me cry."

Father's Day also presented a "sad reminder of a holiday," one that was "loaded with an emotional weight" for Ellie, as she shared in an essay for HuffPost written during her college years. She regretted that she wouldn't be celebrating her dad by presenting him with any of the typical Father's Day gifts, but she assured readers that she "will be thinking of dads everywhere enjoying their kids as well as good health, knowing my father's death has saved perhaps more than a few lives."

Katie Couric has described her eldest daughter, Ellie Monahan, as a particularly "private person." The journalist told AOL that she once told a story about Ellie during a magazine interview when she was about 16 years old. Afterward, Couric was taken by surprise when the then-teenager sat her down to request that she ask permission before sharing information about her on television or social media in the future.

"I think she understands that people care about her and wish her well and are invested in her in a really nice way," Couric said. However, the TV personality appreciated that while she had chosen a public life, Ellie had not — so she agreed to get consent before doing any more dishing on her daughters. To this day, Ellie remains guarded and keeps her social media posts private. Considering the attention the children of public figures often receive, we can understand her decision.

It had to have made her daughters proud when Katie Couric broke the glass ceiling in 2006 and made history as the first solo female anchor of an evening newscast. But while the move from NBC's "Today" to "CBS Evening News" was gratifying, it also took up more of her time (Katie Couric would eventually leave television broadcasting for good in 2014). 

In short, Ellie and Carrie Monahan weren't huge fans of their mother's work schedule, though they were supportive of her career move. Couric detailed in an interview with Glamour how her daughters "mean the world" to her, and she made every effort to attend their school functions and extracurricular activities. "The big key is being disciplined enough to walk out the door of CBS at 7:05 p.m.," she said, but sometimes she would head out to watch one of the girls' volleyball games before going on air — just in the nick of time.

Their mother's busy work schedule meant that weekend time together was "precious," according to Couric. She and her daughters would spend that time doing bonding activities together like apple picking and making pies.

In a rare public appearance together, Ellie and Carrie Monahan joined their mother, Katie Couric, for a family-themed "Got Milk?" ad in May 2013. Dressed in their pajamas and enjoying breakfast in bed, the three women showed off their milk mustaches in a campaign that debuted on "Katie," Couric's talk show, in time for Mother's Day. "Mother's Day probably takes on a deeper meaning in our house," Couric said on the set of the commercial (via E! News).

"It's fun to have my daughters be a part of this," Couric said of the filming. It makes sense, as the three were able to spend quality time together making a new Mother's Day memory, although Couric said the girls have always gone out of their way to make the day special.

While she thinks every day should be Mother's Day, Couric reminisced in a behind-the-scenes video of the shoot about how a homemade scrapbook of the girls' artwork, photographs, and handwritten notes is the most memorable and cherished Mother's Day gift they've ever given her.

In 2009, Katie Couric's daughter, Ellie Monahan, left home and began working toward a Bachelor of Arts at Yale. While in college, she would reportedly study American Studies/Civilization and have a variety of interesting work experiences. She landed impressive internships, including stints working with the New York County District Attorney's office and at HBO. According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources said that Ellie worked harder than anyone else at her HBO internship and is remembered as one of the program's best-ever interns.

Ellie's time at Yale no doubt helped her to establish her own identity and move toward independence, traits which Katie Couric instilled in her daughters. Couric once said to Good Housekeeping that the girls shouldn't expect to depend on her for finances or decision-making once they finished school. Obviously, if they needed her, she'd be there for them, but she didn't "want them to be slackers." She added, "They have to establish their own identities, and that includes their own financial identities." After graduating in 2013, Ellie likely discovered that her mother wasn't joking all of those times when she warned the girls they'd have to find their own way. "I'm hard-nosed that way," Couric insisted, and when Ellie was shocked by that, Couric said that she told her, "Welcome to the real world, honey."

After the death of their father, Katie Couric's daughters saw their mother through some relationship pains, so they were happy — if a little shocked — when Couric accepted a proposal over Labor Day weekend in 2013 from banker John Molner, who's now one of many gorgeous husbands of news anchors. The couple was introduced by mutual friends just the year before their engagement, and Couric said her girls already thought "the world of John." Still, revealing her daughters' reactions, Couric told Access Hollywood, "I think they were a little [like] 'Wow,' because it's been the three of us for so long."

Couric was focused on getting her youngest daughter, Carrie Monahan, through her senior year of high school, so she planned to blend their families in an intimate ceremony. Couric's daughters later took active roles in the event, which took place at Couric's home in the Hamptons on June 21, 2014. According to another article from People, Ellie Monahan read from a love letter that Woodrow Wilson had written to his wife and Carrie sang the Beatles song "I Will" at the wedding.

In an essay for HuffPost, Ellie Monahan remarked that she was fortunate to have been brought up by Katie Couric, "whose friends and coworkers, both male and female, have and continue to serve as positive role models." They may have also indirectly helped to find her calling.

During her college internship at HBO, Ellie likely discovered just how much she enjoyed working in television. She started her professional career working as a writer's assistant for the popular TV series "Mr. Robot" in 2017, and has since held multiple jobs behind the scenes in TV. After that, Ellie went on to work as a writer's assistant and as a scriptwriter for episodes of shows such as "Liked" in 2017 and "The Boys" in 2019. She even earned a director's credit for a 2017 episode of the former.

Like her sister, Carrie Monahan has pursued strong educational experiences. In 2013, a year before she attended Stanford University, Carrie learned about television production as a research intern at Ark Media. Then in 2016, she interned with Ark Media again, working on post-production for Oklahoma City, a PBS American Experience documentary, and on pre-production for the PBS miniseries "The Gene."

The next year, Carrie dove into constitutional concerns with a role as a communications intern at the Southern Poverty Law Center, where she wrote a manual, a step-by-step guide to the deportation process, and analyzed data regarding racial profiling. To round out her resume, Carrie volunteered at a Parisian elementary school where she taught English to young children in 2016.

Katie Couric's daughter, Carrie Monahan, attended Stanford University and graduated with honors in 2018. In her thesis, "A Dream Remembered: Collective Memory & Ancestral Responsibility in Eufaula, Alabama," Monahan explored the themes of history and racism in a small Southern community. The project was lauded by Stanford faculty and won the esteemed David M. Kennedy Honor. Next, Monahan completed a Master of Science in Journalism at Columbia University.

Since earning her master's degree, Monahan has continued highlighting social justice issues by researching and sharing the stories of underrepresented groups. In 2025, the journalist published a piece for The Bitter Southerner titled "From Eufaula to Eufaula." Monahan's work examined the culture, history, and personal stories of indigenous Creek people, whose ancestors were forcibly removed from their homelands and relocated to Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears. Monahan also began pursuing a doctorate in history at the University of Virginia, where she continues to focus on social justice issues in the American South.

Carrie Monahan doesn't just look like her mother, but it seems her career choice has her following closely in her famous mom's footsteps as well. Armed with a prestigious journalism degree from Columbia University, Couric's youngest daughter has found work that allows her to be a strategic communicator while also making a political and social impact.

In her budding career as a journalist, Carrie may be focusing more on writing than presenting television news, but the similarities between her and her mother's paths are clear. Having been a fact checker and research assistant to the editor in chief of Reuters, Carrie has explored topics ranging from foreign relations and world trade to "neurodiversity in the workplace" and financial tips for Generation Z.

All of this makes Couric a proud parent. In a doting Instagram birthday post to her daughter in early 2020, the famous news anchor described her daughter as "brilliant, beautiful, ebullient, creative, hilarious, quirky, [and] compassionate."

In February 2019, Ellie Monahan said "yes" to her longtime boyfriend, Mark Dobrosky. Katie Couric shared the news on her Instagram page and revealed a heartwarming detail about Monahan's engagement ring. "Ellie and Mark are engaged!" Couric announced, adding, "And she's wearing the ring her Dad gave to me." 

The pair got married in July 2021, and their wedding weekend commenced with an 80s-themed costume party. Speaking with Vogue, Monahan revealed that Couric served as their unofficial party planner. She explained, "My mom had so many great ideas, like having the kickass '80s cover band Rubix Kube play at our welcome BBQ, Pop Rocks on the tables, and getting a donut truck. She knew how to put them all together like a true news producer."

The following day, Monahan and Dobrosky exchanged wedding vows during a stunning ceremony in the mountains of Port Jervis, New York. Monahan donned a strapless gown with a long train and an embellished veil. The wedding ended with a reception party that featured dancing, musical performances, and a dazzling fireworks display. Couric gushed about the wedding to her Instagram followers, writing, "It was such an incredible, moving, extraordinary weekend full of love and friendship ... I can't wait to share everything with you. I'm still walking on air even though I can barely move."

Katie Couric has opened up about how her daughters have grown up. On the "Today" show, she said, "I see my husband in my girls and I think how unfair it is for him not ... to see the magnificent people they've become." But even if he's not around to see it, surely the Monahan girls strive to make their late father proud.

In addition to living full and ambitious lives, the young ladies join their mother in taking the tragedy of their dad's untimely passing and attempting to give it a higher purpose. Their advocacy work with the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, which Couric co-founded, as well as the family's co-founding of the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health in 2004, has helped raise funds, brought awareness to treatment options, and offered family support, as noted by Prevention.

In an essay for HuffPost, Ellie Monahan wrote that her dad's absence was particularly palpable at major life events and that her grief would never be "cured," but she and sister Carrie Monahan have done their best to remember him and help others who've been diagnosed with colon cancer, the same disease that took their father's life. Couric agreed in an interview with Closer Weekly, saying, "I honored him by raising two pretty great kids who have a lot of him in them."

Katie Couric shares a famously close relationship with her daughters, and it's clear that the sisters adore their celebrity mom. In 2022, Couric enjoyed some quality time with her daughter, Carrie Monahan, at a fashion show for the brand Markarian. The pair stunned in dresses created by the fashion label. Couric rocked an orange gingham dress, while Monahan opted for a strappy A-line dress made of red satin.

Speaking with Women's Wear Daily, Couric revealed that the pair treated themselves to a pampering session prior to visiting the catwalk. "They were nice enough to dress us and seat us in the front row," the newscaster shared. "Carrie came over and we got our hair done and put makeup on — it was like we were going to the prom, and I was the annoying chaperone, I guess!"

As for Carrie, she had a wonderful time and was impressed by the diversity of body types that were featured on Markarian's runway. "It was my first fashion show so it was very exciting," the journalist gushed. "I love Markarian and thought the clothes were beautiful, especially the big black and pink gowns. I loved that there were older models and models who weren't skinny. Everyone looked amazing."

In addition to her writing chops, Carrie Monahan is also an incredible vocalist with a passion for singing. In 2021, the songstress showed off her velvety singing voice at the wedding ceremony of her older sister, Ellie Monahan. Following the "I dos," Carrie stepped out in a blue floral dress and performed the tune "Songbird" alongside a live band. Katie Couric captured the moment on video and shared it with her Instagram followers. "In a ceremony full of moving moments, one of the most moving was @carriecmonahan serenading the happy couple with Songbird," Couric wrote. She added, "I was overwhelmed and full of pride taking in my grown-up girls." During the video, Carrie and Ellie are seen sharing several emotional glances, highlighting their sweet sisterly bond.

Carrie took the stage again during Ellie's wedding reception. This time, she sang an angelic rendition of Kacey Musgraves' "Late to the Party." In an Instagram post, Couric explained the significance behind this song choice. "Carrie and Dave (the MOH and the Best Man-Mark's brother) played Late to the Party at the reception," Couric revealed. "@carriecmonahan picked it because the @spaceykacey song reminds her of Ellie and Mark. 'Who needs a crowd when you're happy at a party for two?'"

In 2023, Katie Couric was ecstatic to learn that her eldest daughter, Ellie Monahan, was expecting her first child. Ellie revealed her pregnancy to Couric by handing her a handmade bracelet with beads that spelled out the phrase "granny to be." The adorable announcement was captured on-camera, and Couric subsequently shared the video to Instagram. In the footage, Couric is all laughter and smiles after learning about Ellie's baby news.

Ellie gave birth to her son, John Albert Dobrosky, on March 23, 2024. Couric paid tribute to her grandson in an Instagram post, where she revealed that he would be called "Jay" as a tribute to Ellie's late father, Jay Monahan. "Mom and Dad (Ellie and Mark) are over the moon," the media mogul wrote. She added, "I am thrilled to have my first grandchild, Carrie can't wait to be a cool Aunt and [John] Molner is enjoying handing out cigars."

Nowadays, Couric shares updates on baby Jay via her website and her Instagram account. Speaking with People, the proud grandma revealed that she is careful not to interfere with Ellie's parenting choices. "My only 'grandmother rule' is to not tell my daughter what to do," Couric told the publication. "She's an extraordinary mom. She's doing an amazing job. And when it comes to parenting, I just keep my trap shut."

In 2022, Katie Couric revealed some devastating health news. The news anchor was undergoing a routine mammogram when her doctor discovered something abnormal. After further testing, Couric learned that she had a small tumor and was diagnosed with stage 1A breast cancer. Fortunately, the cancer was detected early, and Couric's physician assured her that it was treatable.

However, despite the positive prognosis, Couric dreaded sharing the news with her daughters, Ellie and Carrie Monahan. "I was nervous about it," the journalist admitted during an interview with "Today" in 2022. "I waited a few days so I could process it and really understand what we were dealing with." When Ellie and Carrie first learned about their mother's diagnosis, they were devastated. "Their faces froze in disbelief. Then shock. Then they began to cry," Couric recalled on her website. "They'd already lost one parent. The idea of losing another was unfathomable."

In her "Today" interview, Couric stated that her daughters were "incredibly supportive" throughout her ordeal. When Couric had her tumor surgically removed, her daughter Carrie accompanied her to the hospital and lightened the mood by singing to her. Couric's cancer treatment involved a lumpectomy and several months of radiation. By the end of 2022, the newscaster was declared cancer-free.