Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton announced on August 29 that she is quitting her job as a reporter at NBC News, citing increased work at the Clinton Foundation and imminent birth of her first child.
Chelsea Clinton had been working at NBC since 2011, sporadically doing feature stories on people or organizations doing public-spirited work.
Politico magazine reported earlier this year that NBC was paying her $600,000 a year.
In a statement on her Facebook page, Chelsea Clinton said: “I loved watching the <<Making a Difference>> stories about remarkable people and organizations making a profound difference in our country and our world. I am grateful NBC gave me the opportunity to continue this important legacy.”
Chelsea Clinton, 34, was initially hired to do stories for Brian Williams‘ Rock Center newsmagazine, but that program was canceled. Her work occasionally appeared on NBC’s Nightly News.
Two Chelsea Clinton stories that aired in January were on education programs targeting the underprivileged. She’s done stories on a school program for jailed teenagers named after Maya Angelou, an Arkansas tutoring program and a restaurant chain that donates leftover food to the needy. Her story on actor Jeff Bridges‘ work on childhood hunger aired August1, and another story about a school lunch program for poor children in New Mexico is scheduled to air on August 31.
Chelsea Clinton’s exit removes some potential awkwardness for the network if Hillary Clinton runs for president in 2016. NBC made certain to keep Chelsea Clinton off the air around the time her mother was making media appearances to promote a book, to avoid any appearance of conflict. NBC also received some criticism when stories about her salary appeared
Both NBC and Chelsea Clinton left open the possibility that she could someday return to the network.
“While my role with NBC News may be coming to an end, I look forward to working with the NBC family well into the future,” Chelsea Clinton said on Facebook.
Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, announced this spring that she is pregnant with her first child.
[youtube RcJC2l1MP-0 650]
