In a classic holiday Friday news dump, Chelsea Clintonannounced she was leaving her cushy $600,000-a-year correspondent job at NBC — after she failed to land the network any special access to her mom Hillary Clinton.
Chelsea, who boasted no experience in journalism, was hired as a “special correspondent” for NBC in November 2011. Her work included interviewing the CGI Geico gecko and “Making A Difference” reports for now-cancelled “Rock Center with Brian Williams.”
But NBC insiders tell us that News execs, who kept Chelsea on staff by moving her to a month-by-month contract earlier this year, were infuriated when Hillary gave her first interview for her book “Hard Choices” to ABC’s Diane Sawyer on June 9.
One insider sniffed, “NBC hired Chelsea for the stories she could bring in from her influential contacts, and access to Hillary. But they didn’t get Chelsea to do any serious work, and they didn’t get access to Hillary.”
And when Politico revealed Chelsea’s massive salary in June, our source says, “It was catastrophic for NBC, because not one of the other correspondents, not even Jenna Bush Hager, is on that sort of money.”
The daughter of George W. Bush — who is extremely well-liked on “Today” and scored a sit-down with President Obama and reported on the Sochi Olympics — is rumored to be among those who expressed their dismay at Chelsea’s huge salary for apparently very little work. Business Insider calculated Chelsea made $26,724 for every minute she appeared on NBC.
Chelsea would have to sever ties with the network if Hillary runs for president. But earlier than anticipated, expectant mom Chelsea, 34, announced to People on Friday she is leaving NBC, “to continue focusing on my work at the Clinton Foundation, and as [husband] Marc and I look forward to welcoming our first child.” Alex Wallace, an NBC News senior vice president, added — without irony — “Chelsea’s storytelling inspired people across the country.”
On Friday, Clinton wrote a lengthy message on her Facebook page, thanking NBC for the “opportunity” and her hopes for working with “the NBC family well into the future.”
‘“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.’ 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.’‘To continue focusing on my work at the Clinton Foundation and as Marc and I look forward to welcoming our first child, I have decided to leave my position as a NBC Special Correspondent.’‘At NBC, I’ve had the opportunity to share the work of people like Carlos ‘Coach Khali’ Sweeney , whose Downtown Boxing Gym offers kids on the east side of Detroit a lifeline through academic tutoring and boxing instruction. I met Principal Peggy Candelaria, whose Homework Diner in Albuquerque helps kids with their homework and also feeds those same kids and their families, fostering a renewed sense of community, a program that now serves as a model across Albuquerque and beyond. I also spent time with Annette Dove whose TOPPS program in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, continues to fill the hunger, education and safety gaps for kids of all ages in her community. I will always be inspired by their and others’ collective passion, courage, ingenuity and perseverance.’‘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.’‘It’s been a privilege to be part of the NBC Family. I admire the work and dedication that their reporters, producers, crews, editors and studio teams deliver every day, particularly as I personally experienced through the stewardship of Brian Williams at Nightly News and Rock Center. I especially want to thank Deborah, Alex, Tracey, Catherine, Mary, Victor, Soraya and everyone I had the honor of working with in the field, in the editing room and at Education Nation.’‘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.”’
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