Katie Couric's Most Memorable Interviews

Tonight Katie Couric’s two-hour special on Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee is something of a triumph for the former “Today” co-host, who’s now at ABC following what many regarded as an unsuccessful stint on the “CBS Evening News.” (Besides her ABC specials, she's scheduled to start a daytime talk show this fall.) But no matter what you thought of her performance as an anchor person, throughout her career Couric has shown an ability to get the most interesting and sometimes toughest interview subjects. Here are a few:

Princes William and Harry The Princes, the grandsons of Queen Elizabeth, have gotten enough media training so that they’ll probably never talk out of turn or do a Tom-Cruise-style sofa stomp during an interview. So it was no surprise that they kept insisting to Couric that the monarch is just like any other grandmother. William did admit, however, that he is a “cheeky grandson.”

This is the one that will forever guarantee Couric’s place in the television hall of fame. Her 2008 series of interviews with the Sarah Palin, the attractive but intellectually hampered Vice Presidential candidate, prompted 10 million views on YouTube and, of course, Tina Fey’s devastating portrayal of Palin on “Saturday Night Live.” During the interview, Palin was baffled when asked what magazines and newspapers she read. Fey’s remark, “I can see Russia from my house,” was fictitious, though.Palin said that she had foreign policy experience because her state of Alaska was very near to Russia. Perhaps hoping for a second classic TV moment, Couric has said Palin can come on her new talk show anytime.

Lil Wayne Lest you think that Couric confines her interviews to politicians and dignified public figures, just remember that she interviewed megastar rapper Lil Wayne, performer of soothing after-work numbers like “I Miss My Dawgs.” But as hardcore as Wayne is, Couric got him to go bowling with her—and to talk about his absentee father.

John F. Kennedy Jr. JFK Jr., who died in 1997, was one of the most photographed celebrities of the 1980s and 1990s. But on the whole, he was reclusive about talking to the media. Yet he gave his first and last interviews with Couric, and spoke about his late mother, Jackie, saying, “She took a lot of pride in being a good mother. And I’m glad people think it worked.”

Michael Shoels and Craig Scott Couric has said that her most moving interview was conducted with Shoels, whose son Isaiah was killed in the 1999 Columbine massacre, and Craig Scott, a friend of Isaiah’s who escaped the massacre. Scott’s sister also died that day. Shoels and Scott held hands during the emotional interview. “I wanted to help Isaiah’s dad,” Scott said. “I spent the last few minutes with his son.” Couric, recalling the interview on her last day with “Today,” said it was one of the most profound experiences she’d ever had.

Mahmoud Ahmedinejad Couric had a good “get” when she scored an interview with Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran and a vocal Holocaust-denier. But she seemed to fumble when faced with his slippery arguments and well-rehearsed rhetorical questions about the existence of Israel and the truth of the Holocaust.

Ann Coulter Couric and conservative pundit Coulter got into an awkward argument on “Today” about something Coulter wrote about Couric herself in one of her books. There was a lot of yes-you-did, no-I-didn’t, and Couric failed to interrupt Coulter about five times. Finally, though, Coulter said, “We’re not going to solve this.” True enough. They never did get around to discussing the rest of the book.

Lisa Murkowski Murkowski, an incumbent Republic senator from Alaska, faced a seemingly insurmountable battle for her party’s nomination in 2010. Her opponent, Joe Miller, was strongly supported by none other than Sarah Palin, who has had an ongoing feud with Murkowski. But after Murkowski lost the Republican nomination, she staged a write-in campaign and won. When Couric asked her what she felt about Palin, Murkowski said evenly, “I am her senator.” Ouch.

Angela Lansbury Unlike Barbara Walters, Couric doesn’t routinely get her subjects to cry. But she conducted an emotional interview with Angela Lansbury about the star’s late sister, who suffered from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Asked about her efforts on behalf of ALS patients, Lansbury said, “It’s a way for me to give back…” and nearly broke down—a dignified display of emotion from a dignified woman.