Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shared a glimpse into her life in a Vanity Fair article on Tuesday.
She opened up about a personal health struggle in her family that she kept private while working in the Biden-Harris administration. The revelation highlighted a heavy burden she carried behind the scenes.
Jean-Pierre recalled attending the Bidens’ first state dinner in December 2022. She described it as "the first time the administration felt a dinner was safe to host since the pandemic began." Her mother, who accompanied her, told her, "This is the happiest day of my life."
Sadly, that dinner marked the last time Jean-Pierre saw her mother as she had always known her. Just months later, her mother was diagnosed with stage II colon cancer. Jean-Pierre learned the devastating news while in Poland with President Joe Biden.
"My mother has always been a private person," Jean-Pierre wrote. When her mother accepted the diagnosis, she firmly told her daughter, "Don’t tell anyone. Do not tell the president I have cancer."
Despite her mother’s wishes, Biden was one of the few people at the White House who knew. Jean-Pierre said, "He showed up for me" during her family’s difficult time.
Balancing her White House duties and her mother’s care wasn’t easy. Jean-Pierre frequently drove to New York on weekends to be with her mother, returning late at night to grab a few hours of sleep before resuming her demanding role.
Jean-Pierre explained why she kept her mother’s illness private. Beyond being a "private person," she felt the weight of being a "first." She was the first Black, queer, Haitian American, and immigrant press secretary. "Being a first meant my responsibilities were beyond the job description, the load heavier," she shared.
She also felt society’s pressures. "Sharing my mom’s diagnosis would’ve been seen as an excuse," she said. "Society doesn’t allow women of color to be vulnerable at work. When you’re a first, you don’t get the benefit of the doubt."
During her tenure, Jean-Pierre faced public scrutiny for controversial moments. She once accused the media of creating "cheap fakes" to make Biden seem frail. She also raised eyebrows by saying, "high turnout and voter suppression can take place at the same time" after Biden criticized Georgia's voting laws.
Jean-Pierre faced backlash when Biden pardoned Hunter Biden, reversing previous denials. She justified the shift by saying, "Circumstances have changed" and blamed Republican "retribution."
In May 2022, Jean-Pierre succeeded Jen Psaki as press secretary. Psaki praised her as a "remarkable person" and highlighted her qualifications when passing the baton.