Did Katie Couric really accuse Diane Sawyer of giving beejs for interviews?

Diane Sawyer ended her 5-year gig as World News anchor last night. She’s sticking with ABC News on an as-yet-unannounced project. Diane seemed excited about her position change and signed off by saying (via People), “I just want you to know what a deep privilege it has been to sit in the anchor chair these years … where Peter Jennings created a signature of such curiosity and courage.” I miss Peter Jennings!

Diane’s new adventures will be worth following. As she makes the shift, some excerpts have leaked from Sheila Weller’s upcoming book, The News Sorority (which comes out Sept. 30), is all about the behind-the-scenes drama of the news anchor biz. The book focuses its attention on the rise of Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, and Christiane Amanpour. It sounds like Amanpour’s drama had to do with CNN placing her in life-threatening warzones and then refusing to give her a show (the full piece is The Daily Beast here). The stuff about Couric and Sawyer sounds really catty. Here’s the deets from the Daily Beast:

* Couric and Sawyer competed relentlessly for “gets” both when they hosted rival morning shows but with radically different approaches. “When a friend of Diane’s, a public figure, was being pursued by Katie’s people, the wooed eminence got a call from [Diane’s husband] Mike Nichols, who said–in a very nice way, to be sure–that he and Diane would essentially cut off all social contact if their friend appeared on Today.”

* When Diane beat Katie on an interview with a 57-year-old woman who’d given birth to twins, Katie mused aloud, according to a person who heard the comment: “I wonder who she blew this time to get it.”

* When Couric became the first woman to front a network evening news program alone at CBS, she wooed iconic anchor Walter Cronkite over a couple of dinners, and the old man’s blessing was such that he recorded the introduction to the broadcast. Later Cronkite privately expressed discomfort with Couric’s allegedly soft-news style.

* Sawyer maneuvered her former GMA co-anchor, Charlie Gibson, out of the anchor chair at World News. “In the summer of 2009 Charlie had lost his momentum and Diane moved in for the kill…Charlie told people that he was called into David’s [Westin’s] office and told, ‘You’re out.'”

* In early 2010, as CBS News was facing massive layoffs, and prominent talents like Lesley Stahl were being asked to take pay cuts, Couric, who was famously making $15 million a year, gave a breezy interview to Harper’s Bazaar boasting about her great legs, illustrated with a glamorous movie star photo. Weller writes: “Irrational though it might have been, it felt like Katie was rubbing in her privilege while so many women saw themselves, or their friends, cleaning their desks and saying goodbye.”

* Sawyer’s arch-enemy was Barbara Walters, who referred to her as “That Girl.”

[From The Daily Beast]

I’m sorry, but the “beej” comment is hysterical. It’s awful for sure, but picturing perky little Katie Couric saying that is deliciously unexpected. Who knows if Katie truly believed that Diane would get on her hands and knees to score an interview with a 57-year-old woman who birthed twins. The beej obviously didn’t happen. Did Couric actually say something like that? Maybe.

Denials are pouring in. The Mail spoke to a source who says, “This book is riddled with inaccuracies, dates and ratings that are mentioned are not correct. What’s sad is that this could have been a fantastic book instead of something that has blatant misogynistic undertones.” Misogynistic, yes. The source also says Katie is fine with everything written about her in this book because “She’s spunky, she’s had enough crap written about her before.” Diane is reportedly “not happy.Us Weekly has spoken to a Couric source who says Weller “got a lot right, but also got a lot wrong.” Hmm.

Katie Couric

Diane Sawyer

Photos courtesy of WENN

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75 Responses to “Did Katie Couric really accuse Diane Sawyer of giving beejs for interviews?”

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  1. mimif says:

    Eh. I need Shailene Woodley to chime in and teach me a little bit about feminism, because this is all 50 shades of lame.

    • MoxyLady007 says:

      Oh no. She rose through the ranks and displaced men. Just like men do to other men. But she has a vagina and breasts! Not ok! She must be evil and conniving and a b@tch.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Yeah, it’s a missed opportunity. I would actually be interested in a serious book about the rise of women in the news arena, but this just sounds like a catty tell all. No thanks.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      Who do I have to blow to get some vodka around here?
      Cuz I’ll do it, you know.

      • Sumodo1 says:

        Nod nod, wink wink. Blow me, I’m Alice. In my time (1974-1994) women in journalism scoring ANYTHING were always accused by the men of using sex. My “group” of drinking buddies called ourselves BIMBOs–“Broads In the Media Broadcast Only.” We were so rough on each other, and constantly made references about beejs. “Who’d ya have to BLOW to get that?” was a common phrase.

      • mimif says:

        Good point, Sumodo.

        Lmao Kitten, wtf you are literally dripping with vodka 90% of the time, so no blow jobs necessary. 😉

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        🍸
        But consider it a freebee

      • kri says:

        Um, usually you just have to blow the guy at the licker store, riiight??! Quoth Dina Lohan.

  2. eliza says:

    Leslie Stahl should have been given the anchor chair over Couric who sent CBS Evening News ratings to the toilet.

    I respect the jobs that these ladies have done in a male dominated profession as far as paving the way for other young women to follow them but I have never liked Couric or Sawyer. Never could warm to either of them.

    • tracking says:

      +1 I suspect you have to be ruthless to succeed as a woman in that field, and that comes across.

    • Lizzie K says:

      +1

      Perky Katie always grated on me, and Diane’s faux “concerned” look was too Ann Curryesque. On the other hand, I can’t think of a male anchor I like either. I don’t like to watch the TV news anyway. I’ve been getting all of my news online since Bill Clinton’s presidency and much prefer it that way.

      • M.A.F. says:

        The only male anchor I have ever liked was Peter Jennings. Swayer I could never stand but that has mostly to do w/her working with Pres. Nixon.

      • Dara says:

        @M.A.F. – I miss Peter! I learned so much about the world from watching his broadcasts. Plus, he was a total babe. I took my mom to see him do a town-hall sort of panel-like thing when he visited Seattle for some promo tour, and we were both instantly smitten. The charisma just rolled off the guy in waves, but he also totally knew his stuff – he was not just a talking head that read a teleprompter.

    • BooBooLaRue says:

      With you on this.

  3. Ag says:

    yes… of course, any successful woman is only successful due to her amazing beej skills.

    what do men do to succeed? work hard, right?

    write that down, children.

  4. smee says:

    I’d be more inclined to think that Katie would swab the knob for an interview than Diane.

    I’m sure it was just one of those funny/mean things you say at work.

  5. Kiddo says:

    I feel like this was the Google search: Embarrassingly horrible photos of Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer”…and….success.

    Bonus Non sequitur: Team ANYONE versus Barbara Walters.

    • mimif says:

      So basically you’re saying Babs did a lot of knob gobbling to get where she’s at.

      • Kiddo says:

        Basically I’m saying she is the knob.

        ETA: I would dislike Katie more, but she saved us all the nightmare of Palin being first in line if the president had been shot.

      • PunkyMomma says:

        Bahaha!

      • Esmom says:

        Ha, Kiddo, I was going to say the same thing about Couric. I’ve never really liked her but that Palin interview redeemed her forever for me.

        And yes, those photos are heinous. Couric all dolled up is just a fright.

        This book sounds very entertaining.

      • TheOriginalKitten says:

        LOL. Gross.

        Still, I admire anyone who would swallow some nuts to get aHEAD (pun intended).
        Too much work. I’d rather just bang my way to the top, the old-fashioned way.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Really, OKitt. So much easier on the jaw.

      • mimif says:

        Well it makes sense you would admire a teabagger like Palin, Kitten.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        The idea of being eye level with a saggy old pair of balls is really terrifying. Monster kiwis!

  6. PunkyMomma says:

    I miss Peter Jennings, too. A total hottie, smart as heck, could be nasty, nasty when he wanted to be and at other times, the consummate gentleman.

    • Sullivan says:

      Yes! I still miss Peter Jennings, too.

    • M.A.F. says:

      Me too.

    • BooBooLaRue says:

      Sadly yes. I had a crush on him since he was just a reporter. . .years and years ago. Hottie!

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      Such a handsome and eloquent guy he was.

      • Sumodo1 says:

        I was doing a fundraiser and one of the gimmicks was “Neckties of the Rich and Famous” as part of our charity auction. EVERY GUY in news, sports, entertainment, whatever, sent over their neckties. Jennings? Oh, no! He said his were all Hermes and he just couldn’t. PS…do not idolize the late Jennings too much or you will get your feelings hurt. Cold, cold man.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Loved him, too.

    • mayamae says:

      Peter Jennings was my favorite. He had a reputation for being an asshole, but after he died it was revealed that he had been volunteering weekly at a food kitchen for years.

  7. GiGi says:

    This is all nothing surprising… but I really just came to say how much I LOVE Diane Sawyer. She is everything.

    • mayamae says:

      I love her too. I’m a cynical person, but I really find Diane to be genuine. I saw her working a crowd on the sidewalks of NYC – she’s a natural. She is very warm with children, and she let a little girl peel off her false eyelash, just because the little girl asked about it. She was also present (and tearful) when Robin Roberts began her bone marrow transplant. When she signed off for the last time last night, she took the camera behind the scenes and I don’t think you can fake the affection all those people showed for her.

  8. OrangeBlohan says:

    Diane Sawyer was the best anchor person working today. I will miss her. Best wishes to her!!

  9. BeckyR says:

    Diane is great..Katie, not so much.

  10. Jenns says:

    I’m sure there is just as much catty stuff behind the scenes with the men(hello, Matt Lauer). But of course, they always focus on the women.

    • holly hobby says:

      Read Top of the Morning. That is about the morning shows but it goes extensively about Matt Lauer and the Curry debacle.

  11. Hautie says:

    Let’s be honest… that was a funny f*cking comment. And it makes me actually like Katie for saying it. Because as a female, that has worked for years in the auto industry…. I have heard a lot worse said about women (by other women) who successfully climb the ladder in a man dominate industry.

    And yes, I suspect Diane Sawyer is a complete pill. But she has done a better job of hiding it from the public.

    Till now.

    I bet Barbara Walters laughed her ass off too, about the BJ comment. And sent Katie a nice bouquet of flowers this morning.

    (ETA: My one wish… is for Diane to take over “The View”. Just to watch Rosie lose her mind.)

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      I’ve heard men say that about other men, too, in law and investment banking. It’s just a joke.

      • Kiddo says:

        Or the classic, in dinning, “who do I have to blow to get some service around here?”

      • TheOriginalKitten says:

        It’s definitely a joke, and it made me giggle, but I agree with others that the insinuation that the only way women can get ahead is by exchanging sexual favors annoys the crap out of me.

        That being said, that sh*t was funny.

      • Bridget says:

        I interpreted it as Katie commenting on the fact that Sawyer was getting her husband to c*ckblock interviews.

        And I find this hilarious. Those women have these polished exteriors, but they would have to be tough as nails to have survived in that business for as long as they have.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Right, I get that the whole idea is misogynist and insulting if the person means it, but I don’t think Katie really believes that’s how Diane gets her interviews. I think she was just blowing off steam. Pun intended.

      • Bridget says:

        So you’re saying this was blown out of proportion?

  12. Gia says:

    Diane sawyer is one sexy biotch!

    • mayamae says:

      Ten years or so ago, GMA put on a wedding in Times Square. I happened to be there so I was watching. Diane was out mingling in the crowd – standing right next to me. She was drop dead gorgeous. At first I thought it was Lara Spencer, who’s decades younger than Diane.

  13. PixieWitch says:

    at least Diane Sawyer doesn’t show her colon.

  14. teehee says:

    I think its just metaphoric of the culture we live in: successful women always have to work around and with the ‘men’ who will or won’t allow them to obtain positions of wealth, power, fame etc. So I dont think its literal, just political. Even if it wasn’t intentional “brown-nosing”, tough, it still can be interpreted that way, just given the circumstances (that Diana would get up in life as a result of the men she has to cooperate with to do so)

  15. Jayna says:

    I love Diane.

    I watch the news with Scott Pelley on CBS. I really like him.

  16. Ellie66 says:

    I like Diane can’t stand Katie she seems like a perky demon cheerleader. What about Good Morning America what happen there? Sam and Josh and that annoying blonde girl ugh! Robin Roberts even gets on my nerves now.

  17. Jayna says:

    The tone of the book and its treatment of women in the news business as catty and backstabbing and pitted against each for in the stories turns me off and doesn’t seem credible from they way they are written just reading this article. I doubt it is a really well-researched book aiming for credibility, and more like it’s just to sell salacious gossip. Katy Couric has always made her little wise-cracking one-liners, and that sounds like a one-liner joke to colleagues about Diane.

    Maybe Kitty Kelly ghost wrote this book LOL

  18. Nev says:

    Love Sawyer. Smart. Glamorous. WERK.

  19. feebee says:

    It was a bitingly amusing comment but one that elicits a kind of ‘you would know’ response.

  20. Wren33 says:

    I’m sure they are both a bit backstabbing and ruthless. You have to be to get to the top of your game in such a competitive industry. I think female news anchors are perceived as more perky and warm-hearted than their male counterparts.

  21. Hawkeye says:

    If I had to choose, I’m Team Diane, only because she appears to be IDGAF drunk on air a lot these days. That’s a news reporter who knows how to keep my attention!

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      I agree that Boozy Diane is AMAZEBALLS.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      OMG, I forgot that election night thing. Hahahahaha that was fantastic.

    • Yates says:

      I can’t believe Sawyer’s drunk election night broadcast wasn’t mentioned! That was amazing. Sometimes I think I dreamed that whole thing.

  22. pretty says:

    that’s disappointing. i’m not american so i’ve never watched these people but recently i watched a documentary called Miss Representation and Katie Couric was talking about how the media pit women against each other and stuff and she discussed how she and Diane Sawyer gets pitted against and stuff and how ridiculous those claims are.

  23. lisa says:

    one day, i want to see the geeky non telegenic production assistants who write the stuff on the teleprompter be the ones who read them out loud

  24. FLORC says:

    This comes up against every so often. All the female anchors or rather females in the media game that have high profiles. They get accused of handing out old fashions for stories loads of times. And honestly, it seems like at some point they all took that route. Be it a husband or boyfriend or the subject of the interview.
    Ladies are catty. Water is wet.

  25. may23 says:

    I don’t know… They’re trying to make it sound like working in television is like serving at the royal court in Versailles. I doubt it’s THAT fascinating and cut-throat.

  26. RobN says:

    To be fair, it’s not like Katie Couric is an actual news person. Her stint on the news was like watching Kelly Ripa trying to be an actual reporter, except that Kelly is smart enough to understand her niche. I think Couric is a bit jealous of the women who made it doing actual news rather than wishing a happy birthday to some old broad in Des Moines.