Katie Couric Says She Would Not Have Left Today for CBS If She 'Knew Then What I Know Now'

Katie Couric Says She Would Not Have Left Today for CBS If She 'Knew Then What I Know Now'
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Katie Couric is opening up about her move from NBC to CBS back in 2006.

Couric, 64, spent 15 years at Today before announcing that she would be joining the CBS Evening News, becoming the first solo female anchor of a nightly news broadcast on a major network.

Five years later, in 2011, she left CBS amid a ratings decline for the Evening News.

While discussing the release of her memoir, Going There, Couric told People (the TV shows!)'s Kay Adams that the network switch seemed like a "new challenge" for her at the time.

"I kind of felt like I owed it to womankind, which is probably ridiculous in retrospect, but I thought this is a really important moment, a societal moment," she said. "It's kind of a statement. And so I thought, will I ever have this opportunity again? And 15 years is a really long time, you know, in one job."

For more on Katie Couric and other top stories, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

"I've never shied away from challenges and that's why I did it," she continued. "It seemed like if I hadn't done it, I might regret it, and I like to keep moving and learning and growing."

Katie Couric
Katie Couric

Jim Spellman/WireImage

RELATED: Katie Couric Stands by New Memoir on Today: 'I Wanted to Share the Messy Parts' of My Life

When asked if she would do it again, however, the longtime journalist was more hesitant.

"If I knew then what I know now, probably not," Couric said. "It was an incredible growth experience for me, and I'm glad I did it. I think I did some really good work there."

Couric previously told PEOPLE in last week's cover story that she's "really glad" she went to CBS and experienced that part of her career.

"Some of my friends have asked me, 'Do you regret it?' I think I would've regretted staying at The Today Show for 20 or 25 years," she said. "I needed a new challenge. I wanted to grow."

"I wanted to flex different muscles. So I'm glad I did it. It didn't work out the way I had hoped it would," she added, noting that the gig didn't come without some struggles. "What do they say? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?"

Katie couric
Katie couric

Richard Drew/AP/Shutterstock Katie Couric during her last broadcast for Today in 2006

RELATED: Katie Couric on Being 'Shocked' by Matt Lauer's Behavior: 'It Just Seemed So Callous'

Couric also discussed the move during an appearance on Today Tuesday morning, telling former colleague Al Roker that there was a "real culture clash" when she joined CBS.

"I think the problem is probably I didn't change enough when I went to CBS," she said. "I was more of a product of The Today Show and NBC, and I think it was a real culture clash. I don't think people internally really accepted me, and I thought we were much further along when it came to sexism."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

She said when she left Today, she "thought America was really ready for a female anchor of the evening news."

"We were just not as far along as I naively thought," she said.

"I'm not sure if the country was ready for a female anchor — maybe they weren't just ready for me as a female anchor because of their perceptions of me," Couric continued. "But I really went there to say a woman can do this job with confidence and competence, and that's really what motivated my decision."