Katie Couric spoofs Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad with colon cancer screening PSA

A new public service announcement from Katie Couric spoofed Sydney Sweeney’s high-profile denim campaign to spotlight the importance of regular colon cancer screenings. The PSA, created as part of the Lead from Behind campaign, is a collaboration between the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Maximum Effort, the production company co-founded by Ryan Reynolds. It marks Couric’s latest public-health effort tied to her long-standing mission to reduce deaths from colorectal cancer through early detection and education.

The PSA opens with a close-up of Couric in a denim jacket, the soft hum of music in the background. As the camera pulls back, she is revealed wearing a hospital gown beneath the denim and is shown on a hospital gurney as nurses prepare for a colonoscopy. Couric delivers a tongue-in-cheek line that nods to the fashion moment that inspired the clip: “Speaking of genes.” She then pivots to a crucial health message: “Did you know that the majority of people who develop colon cancer are not genetically predisposed to the disease? That’s why doctors recommend everyone 45 and older get checked.”

The spot emphasizes that genetic risk is not the sole predictor of colon cancer and underscores the recommended screening age, while highlighting the ease and importance of regular testing. A line in the PSA references Couric’s own history with colonoscopy, noting that “Mine are televised,” a reference to the first on-air colonoscopy she underwent during her time as an anchor. The scene blends pop culture with a serious health message, using humor to draw attention to a disease that disproportionately affects adults as they age.

Couric has discussed the decision to parody Sweeney’s jeans campaign in interviews, saying that the cultural moment offered a way to extend the conversation beyond glossy advertising to a life-saving public-health issue. In an interview with People published Thursday, she described the situation as “a moment in time” when pop culture and a fashion moment could be leveraged to shape the cultural conversation around screening. She explained, “Why don’t we ride that horse a little bit longer and have some fun with it?” The 68-year-old journalist also reflected on the interplay between age, image, and health messaging, joking about the jean jacket setup and how age differences inform the tone of the PSA.

Couric’s advocacy for colorectal cancer awareness is deeply personal. Her late husband, Jay Monahan, died of colon cancer in 1998 at age 42, a tragedy that spurred her to co-found the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance in 2000 and later the Jay Monahan Center for GI Health in 2004 and Stand Up To Cancer in 2008. She has since spoken openly about facing life without Monahan, noting that she is a grandmother and that her family members have missed out on moments he would have shared. “I think of him often, and think of other Jay Monahans that might be out there, whose lives I can potentially save with this information,” she said in interviews about the PSA campaign.

Alongside her personal history, Couric has been candid about her own health journey. She disclosed a breast cancer diagnosis in 2022, emphasizing that the disease was detected early thanks to regular screenings. “Early detection saves lives. It’s really that simple,” she said, underscoring that cancers detectable at an early stage dramatically improve survival odds. The PSA also serves to remind audiences that screening is a proactive, routine part of health care, not merely a response to symptoms.

The campaign intersects with contemporary pop culture in another way: Sydney Sweeney’s jeans campaign has become a touchpoint for broader conversations about beauty standards, representation, and cultural messaging. The jeans campaign, which included the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” drew criticism over the summer for its wordplay on “genes” and for what some described as a broader public-relations backlash about Western beauty standards and political sensibilities. The brand defended the campaign as a celebration of the product—“The jeans, her jeans, her story”—and maintained that the effort was about the product itself, rather than a commentary on genetics or identity. Sweeney has, for her part, largely avoided addressing the controversy directly, letting the campaign’s reception unfold in the public sphere.

In the wake of the PSA’s release and the ongoing discussion of Sweeney’s campaign, several observers highlighted how health messaging can gain traction by tapping into recognizable cultural moments while maintaining accuracy and sensitivity. Public health groups involved in Lead From Behind have emphasized that colon cancer remains a leading cause of cancer deaths that is highly preventable with regular screening, especially for adults ages 45 to 75. The PSA’s playful framing aims to reduce stigma and encourage viewers who might be hesitant about screening to talk with their doctors about options, from colonoscopies to non-invasive tests that can be performed at home.

The conversation around the PSA also touches on the practical aspects of public health campaigns: funding, reach, and the alignment of celebrity-driven platforms with medically sound guidance. The Lead From Behind initiative, supported by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Maximum Effort, leverages media influence to increase awareness of screening guidelines and to equip people with information about how and when to pursue testing. Health officials underscore that while humor can engage audiences, the underlying message must remain clear and accurate: colon cancer is highly treatable when detected early, and screening saves lives.

As the PSA circulates, viewers will encounter imagery that blends entertainment with earnest health education. The production choices—using a familiar fashion moment as a gateway to a serious medical topic—reflect a broader trend in health communication that seeks to meet people where they are, rather than requiring audiences to seek out information proactively. By connecting a widely discussed cultural moment to essential health guidance, Couric and her collaborators aim to broaden the reach of a message that has long been central to her public work: that regular screening matters, and that discussing colon health should be as routine as discussing fashion.

[Photo from the Sweeney–AE campaign provides a visual counterpoint to the PSA’s message.]

The conversation surrounding the PSA comes at a moment when health advocacy groups are actively expanding outreach through partnerships with celebrities and media platforms. For Couric, the stakes are personal and public: a legacy shaped by her husband’s death, her own cancer journey, and a commitment to helping others access timely screening information. The PSA represents a synthesis of her experiences and her ongoing advocacy, framed within a moment of pop-cultural dialogue about jeans, genes, and the power of prevention.

As audiences process the PSA, additional context about the Sweeney campaign’s reception and its broader cultural impact continues to unfold. American Eagle officials reiterated that the campaign’s aim was to highlight denim and personal expression, not to critique or redefine genetic risk. Yet the juxtaposition of a fashion moment with a health message has sparked conversations about how best to present complex medical topics in a way that is engaging without oversimplifying risk factors. Couric’s spoof, meanwhile, has been cited by supporters as a clever tool to foreground screening while maintaining a sense of humor about an otherwise serious subject.

While the public health objective remains clear—encourage adults to discuss colon cancer screening with their clinicians—the PSA’s maximal impact will depend on how viewers interpret the blend of celebrity, fashion, and medicine. In a landscape where misinformation can spread quickly, the PSA’s emphasis on medically grounded guidance, the recommended screening age, and the role of non-genetic risk factors aims to provide a straightforward, actionable message for a broad audience. Couric’s long-standing platform for health communication continues to inform and motivate audiences to take steps that could prevent a disease that remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths when left undetected.

The campaign’s use of familiar media moments might also influence how future health messages are crafted, encouraging collaborations across entertainment and nonprofit sectors to amplify public-health priorities. As with any outreach effort of this scale, results will be measured in engagement, awareness, and, crucially, increased conversations between patients and their health care providers about screening options. The ultimate goal remains simple and essential: save lives by catching colorectal cancer early, when treatment is most effective.

As the health community continues to monitor the PSA’s impact, Couric's blend of personal history, pop culture, and public health messaging serves as a reminder that prevention can be both relatable and urgent. Her message—paired with the ongoing discourse about Sweeney’s fashion campaign—highlights how health communication can leverage current conversations to reach diverse audiences, from television audiences to social media users. Public health advocates will likely continue to watch how this initiative translates into real-world screening uptake and broader awareness of colorectal cancer prevention strategies.