Chelsea Clinton stepping down from cushy NBC News gig
To channel her energies into parenting duties and her family's namesake foundation, Chelsea Clinton will be leaving her cushy gig as a special correspondent for NBC News, People magazine reported Friday.
In a statement, the former first daughter said she'd be parting ways with the network after less than three years "to continue focusing on my work at the Clinton Foundation, and as [husband Marc Mezvinsky] and I look forward to welcoming our first child." She announced her pregnancy in April.
NBC brought on Clinton in November 2011 to the controversial tune of $600,000 a year to help churn out "feel-good" stories for the organization's "Making a Difference" franchise. Earlier this year, the network announced it would proceed with her contract on a month-to-month basis to preempt any conflicts of interest should her mother Hillary Clinton mount a presidential bid.
"When I joined the NBC family in 2011, I had long respected NBC's commitment to telling the stories of 'ordinary people doing extraordinary things,'" Clinton wrote on her Facebook page. "I am profoundly grateful to NBC viewers who responded to the stories I shared, providing funds to help expand the reach of those programs and who encouraged their schools' principals, their mayors and local activists to think about how to build similarly transformative programs in their own communities."
Alex Wallace, senior vice president of NBC News, echoed that sentiment in a statement to People, lauding Clinton's storytelling for showcasing "the real power we have as individuals to make a difference in our communities. While she will be missed, we look forward to working with her in the future."
Clinton will continue her activism with the Clinton Foundation, where her projects primarily center on global health initiatives and women's issues.
