EP6: Lights, Camera… Colonoscopy: Cancer Mavericks Go to Hollywood

What happens when Hollywood gets cancer—and decides to do something about it?

In this episode, we explore the power and pitfalls of celebrity advocacy in the cancer world. When Katie Couric got a colonoscopy on live TV, it wasn’t just a media stunt—it led to a 20% spike in screenings. That moment became known as the Katie Couric Effect, and it proved something: when a household name says, “get screened,” people actually listen.

But it didn’t stop there. Katie co-founded Stand Up To Cancer alongside producer Laura Ziskin and others in the entertainment world who had lost friends and family. It became one of the most successful nonprofit disruptors in the field, funding research that directly led to multiple FDA-approved treatments—and permanently shifting how cancer fundraising looked and sounded.

We also hear from Dr. Larissa Nekhlyudov on the high-stakes fallout of survivorship: financial toxicity, mental health breakdowns, and long-term effects that aren’t covered by a red carpet or a PSA. From Christina Applegate and Michael J. Fox to Patrick Dempsey’s grief-fueled Dempsey Center, this episode pulls back the curtain on how fame, storytelling, and real emotion collided to drive awareness—and sometimes distort reality.

And of course, Matthew Zachary reflects on what it means when the public learns about cancer through celebrities—while millions of regular people fight the same battles in silence.

This episode asks hard questions: Does star power save lives? Does it distract from structural failures? And how do we strike the balance between influence and honesty in a media-saturated world?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Katie Couric’s live colonoscopy led to a measurable national increase in screenings—aka the Katie Couric Effect
• Stand Up To Cancer raised hundreds of millions and backed research that resulted in 9 FDA-approved cancer therapies
• Laura Ziskin used her Hollywood clout to drive collaborative science—and make research accountability sexy
• Celebrity activism can raise awareness, but may oversimplify the realities of treatment and survivorship
• Survivors still face long-term fallout like PTSD, financial ruin, and isolation—even if the spotlight moves on
• Real stories, told honestly (famous or not), are still the most powerful tool we have

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