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Katie Couric announces birth of 1st grandchild, named after her late husband

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Katie Couric reveals breast cancer diagnosis
Katie Couric/Instagram
ByKatie Kindelan
March 25, 2024, 7:36 PM

Katie Couric is a first-time grandmother.

The longtime journalist and presenter welcomed a grandson on Saturday, who is named after her late husband Jay Monahan, who died from colon cancer in 1998.

Couric shared in an Instagram post Sunday that her eldest daughter Ellie Monahan gave birth to a son she and her husband Mark had named John Albert Dobrosky.

"He will be called Jay in honor of his maternal grandfather," Couric wrote alongside a series of photos of the newborn.

"Mom and Dad (Ellie and Mark) are over the moon ... (it was a full moon) I am thrilled to have my first grandchild," she continued, adding of her husband John Molner and her younger daughter Carrie, "Carrie can’t wait to be a cool Aunt and Molner is enjoying handing out cigars. We feel so blessed."

In one of the photos, Couric is seen holding her grandson while wearing a sweater with the name "Gogo" embroidered.

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Couric wrote on her website about how she picked the name "Gogo," noting that it fits her "on the go-go" personality.

"My sister’s nickname is Kiki, so I couldn’t choose that. I felt like everyone is Gigi — and while that was going to be my name, I decided on Gogo after a friend told me that was what she used," Couric wrote, adding, "But this boy can call me whatever he wants."

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Couric also wrote about how both "moving and bittersweet" it is that her daughter chose the name Jay for her firstborn son.

"Major milestones remind me of everything Jay has missed. Graduations, weddings, and now this. He would be so thrilled to meet his namesake," Couric wrote. "Both he and Mark played lacrosse in college. In my mind’s eye, I can see them tossing the ball around with their sticks, teaching little Jay how to play the game in the park."

Couric, the co-founder of Katie Couric Media, announced in December that Ellie Monahan was pregnant, sharing a video of her first learning the news.

In the video, Couric is handed a friendship bracelet by her daughter Carrie Monahan.

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The friendship bracelet spells out "granny to be," which Couric is seen slowly spelling out and saying out loud.

"I'm pregnant," Ellie Monahan is then heard telling Couric, who reacts in shock and joy.

Ellie Monahan and Katie Couric attend TIME Women Of The Year in Beverly Hills, CA, March 08, 2022.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for TIME

"This is what happens when you go to a @taylorswift concert last summer and forget your friendship bracelet and your daughters say, 'Don’t worry, we made one for you!'" Couric captioned the video, along with the hashtag #omg.

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