Two months after stepping down as White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre says she is savoring her new chapter outside the political spotlight. The former senior Biden advisor, who made history as the first Black and openly LGBTQ+ person to serve in the role, recently told People magazine that while the job was a tremendous honor, she has no regrets about leaving it behind.
“It was an honor and a privilege to have the job and to have done it for two and a half years, but I don’t miss it,” Jean-Pierre said while attending the opening night of Othello on Broadway, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Now back to civilian life, Jean-Pierre says her days have been filled with rest, family time, and cultural outings like Othello. “Self-care, sleep, hanging out with my family, hanging out with my friends,” she said of her new routine. She’s also enjoying more time with her daughter, whom she shares with her ex-wife, journalist Suzanne Malveaux.
Though she once described the high-pressure press secretary role as “under the microscope,” Jean-Pierre told theGrio during her tenure that she truly loved the job. “I know it probably sounds crazy to some people out there, but I do…I will never have an opportunity like this or a job like this ever [again],” she said.
Jean-Pierre’s tenure of 2 years and 252 days ranks among the longest for a modern-day White House press secretary. Only two others in the past two decades have served longer.
While she hasn’t announced her next move, Jean-Pierre has kept a visible public profile. In a recent Harvard University appearance, she reflected on the Democratic Party’s dramatic shift away from President Joe Biden during the 2024 election cycle. “It was like a firing squad,” she said, calling the moment “truly unfortunate.”
At the Othello premiere, she was reunited with Joe and Jill Biden. Sharing a photo of the evening on Instagram, she wrote, “It was also great to share this experience alongside @joebiden and @drbiden, who received a beautiful, heartfelt welcome in the theater.”
