Katie Couric spoofs Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle jeans ad: 'Why don't we ride that horse a lit...

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And she's doing it for one very good cause. Katie Couric spoofs Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle jeans ad: 'Why don't we ride that horse a little bit longer?'

And she's doing it for one very good cause.

Katie Couric spoofs Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle jeans ad: 'Why don't we ride that horse a little bit longer?'

And she's doing it for one very good cause.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

EW's editorial guidelines

September 25, 2025 11:16 a.m. ET

Katie Couric spoofs Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle jeans ad. Credit:

Lead From Behind/Youtube; American Eagle/Youtube

Katie Couric is parodying Sydney Sweeney's controversial American Eagle jeans ad for a good cause. **

The former *Today* cohost and journalist, 68, is the star of a new public service announcement that encourages individuals over the age of 45 to get screened for colon cancer. In the clip, Couric can be seen evoking the "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" ad campaign by wearing a similar jean jacket to the *Euphoria* actress as sensual music plays in the background. **

"Speaking of genes," Couric begins, directly referencing Sweeney's ad. "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."

Katie Couric in a parody of Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle jeans ad.

Lead From Behind/Youtube

The camera then slowly pans out to reveal that Couric is actually wearing a hospital gown as doctors nearby prepare her for a colonoscopy. "Mine were televised," she adds, a nod to when Couric famously underwent the procedure while live on *Today* in 2000. **

Evoking Sweeney's ad, a voiceover then reads, "Katie Couric gets regular screenings and if you're 45 or older, you should too." **

The campaign was created by Lead From Behind, an awareness initiative from the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Maximum Effort, the latter of which was cofounded by actor Ryan Reynolds. Speaking with PEOPLE, Couric explained that they were inspired to poke fun at Sweeney's ad after seeing the way it dominated the "cultural conversation" over the summer.

Why are people angry at Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle jeans ad?

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"It was a moment in time, and we thought, 'Why don't we ride that horse a little bit longer and have some fun with it?'" Couric told the outlet, adding, "It was funny for me because I'm a little older than Sydney Sweeney, and I was trying to get the jean jacket to lay just so." **

Released in July, Sweeney's American Eagle ad campaign is based on a play on the words "jeans" and "genes." The ads quickly sparked heavy backlash online, with some criticizing the campaign for appearing to promote eugenics by having a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman discuss having "good genes" during a divisive time in the United States.**

Several conservative figures — including Megyn Kelly, Vice President JD Vance, and President Donald Trump — have publicly come forward to defend Sweeney, who is a registered Republican, in the wake of the controversy and mock others who took issue with the advertisement.

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Couric, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, told PEOPLE that cancer research and the importance of getting screened early "has been near and dear to my heart since I lost my husband in 1998." Her husband, Jay Monahan, died from colon cancer at age 42.

The Stand Up to Cancer co-founder noted that Monahan "would've been a grandfather" if he were still alive today. **

"My girls graduated from college and these huge life moments that he's missed — I don't want that to happen to other people," she said. "And so I think of him often, and think of other Jay Monahans that might be out there, whose lives I can potentially I save with this information. So I feel such an obligation and a responsibility to do that."**

Watch Couric's ad above.

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