Katie Couric Spoofs American Eagle Ad to Urge Screenings

Katie Couric stars in a new PSA that spoofs Sydney Sweeney’s viral American Eagle “great jeans” ad to urge regular colorectal cancer screenings. The Lead From Behind campaign, produced with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort, opens with Couric in denim before pulling back to reveal her on a gurney as she says “Speaking of genes,” reminding viewers that most people who develop colon cancer are not genetically predisposed and that doctors recommend screening for everyone 45 and older. Couric references her televised colonoscopy 25 years ago and her late husband, Jay Monahan, who died of colon cancer at 42, as part of her longtime advocacy. The spot uses celebrity-led humor to destigmatize screening and promote timely checks; it was released amid debate over the original American Eagle ad, which some critics said evoked eugenic themes while the brand defended it as being “about the jeans.”