It looks like Katie Couric is about to make her game show hosting debut.
According to a recent report by the Los Angeles Times, the network news star has signed up to appear on Jeopardy! as an interim host for a week.
Both Couric and Sony Pictures Television, which produces the game show, declined to comment on her rumored hosting gig. But if this turns out to be true, then Couric will be among the first guest hosts to helm Jeopardy! after the final episodes of the program with long-running emcee Alex Trebek air this week.
Jeopardy! will air its first batch of episodes without Trebek starting January 11th. But instead of introducing a new permanent presenter right away, the game show will have several guests fill in as host while it looks for a long-term replacement for Trebek, who died in November. As announced later that month, the first interim host will be Ken Jennnings.
Jennings, who joined Jeopardy! as a consulting producer ahead of season 37, holds the show’s all-time records for most consecutive games won (74) and highest winnings in regular-season play ($2,520,700). He was also crowned the greatest Jeopardy! contestant of all time following a multi-night, prime-time event in January, in which he defeated fellow top-money winners James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter.
Though Couric is best known for her run as co-anchor of NBC’s morning news franchise Today, fans think that the 63-year-old journalist will make a great Jeopardy! guest host, as she’s always been an incredible guest and guest host on late-night programs. She also hosted her own syndicated talk show, Katie, from 2012 to 2014.
While Couric has yet to confirm or deny her rumored Jeopardy! gig, she had previously revealed her top picks to be the next Jeopardy! host. In an interview with Jalen Rose on his Renaissance Man podcast, Couric was asked about possible Jeopardy! hosts.
“How about Chris Rock?” asked Couric. “I think Jimmy Kimmel would be really good too.” Couric said Kimmel is “kind of like an ‘every man,” adding that the late-night show host is “funny” and has “such a big heart.”
Couric also wondered what it would be like if the next Jeopardy! host is a woman. “How about a woman though? What woman could replace Alex Trebek?” she asked. When Rose mentioned Queen Latifah, Couric said, “Queen Latifah would be good! Tina Fey? Tina Fey would be good, yeah? I think Queen or Tina!”