Katie Couric says controversy surrounding her new book is a 'strange, willful misinterpretation' - USA TODAY

Ask Katie Couric what she, veteran journalist, former "Today" co-host and first woman to anchor an evening news program solo would ask about her new memoir and she’ll give a very Katie Couric response: “What would I ask me? Are you glad you wrote this book?” she says flashing her signature bright smile over a Zoom chat, during which she pauses to enjoy bites of frozen yogurt.

“…I’d heard through the grapevine (Banfield's) father was telling anyone who’d listen that she was going to replace me,” Couric, 64, claims in her book.

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In our interview, Couric writes off early coverage of the book as a “strange, willful misinterpretation of what I wrote.

It's clearly not representative of my book, and I think it probably says a lot about the media environment we're in and the tenor of the times we're in. So, I was surprised, but not that surprised.”.

She describes former CBS CEO Les Moonves, who resigned in 2018 after allegations of sexual misconduct that he denies, as “a close talker with bad breath.” Michael Jackson, who Couric says wanted to take her out (she declined), had a handshake “like a dead fish” and “had medical tape running down and across what was left of his nose.” She did end up going out with Larry King, who at dinner downed his veal poached in chicken broth “with gusto.

I couldn't imagine writing a book and not being true to myself and true to my feelings and true to my own life experiences.".

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“I had so much fun writing that chapter because it was so crazy,” she says.

"I think they were really helpful in seeing how I was processing this," Couric says of the texts

As for the question she posed herself: Couric says she is glad she wrote the book

"It represents a moment in time and is a certain period of history from the perspective of someone who was very lucky to have the seat she had," says Couric. "I really wrote it for my daughters, but I think for anyone who's interested in what it was like to be a woman in television news at a certain moment in time or over a certain period of time might find it really enlightening."