Joe Biden’s former press secretary soldiers on after book tour devolves into spectacle of public humiliation
Karine Jean-Pierre. Remember her?
In 2022, Jean-Pierre made history as the first openly gay black female lesbian of color to serve as White House press secretary. Journalists and other Democrats squealed with joy.
In 2025, Jean-Pierre announced she was leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent, primarily as a means of expressing solidarity with Hamas. She wrote a memoir defending Joe Biden’s zombie reelection campaign. It was so bad that it forced Democrats to abandon their faith in DEI. They could finally admit that Republicans were right.
Former colleagues rushed to denounce Jean-Pierre as “incompetent,” “ineffectual,” and “unprepared.” The Washington Post charitably described her as a “devoted apparatchik” with “little authentic understanding” of politics beyond a “vague sense of personal grievance.” Her book flopped, and the book tour devolved into a spectacle of public humiliation.
That was last fall. So, what’s Jean-Pierre up to now? According to an exclusive interview with Variety, the disgraced former press secretary is “stepping into a new kind of spotlight” next month in Los Angeles, where she will host the 17th annual African American Film Critics Awards. “I don’t want it to be about me,” Jean-Pierre told the Hollywood gossip rag. “One of the things I learned in the press comms world is don’t make yourself the news.”
Jean-Pierre said hosting a racially segregated award show was an especially important role given the country’s turbulent political climate. “We need an opportunity and a space to celebrate ourselves,” she said. “There is real value in telling our journeys so that generations to come can see how brilliant we are.” (Fact check: Alex Thompson of Axios reported that many Biden staffers disliked Jean-Pierre because she was “kinda dumb” and had “no interest in understanding harder topics.”)
Shunned by the Democratic Party and (to the extent there is a difference) the mainstream media, Jean-Pierre is gearing up to take her talents (such as they are) to Hollywood. She recently acquired the rights to the life stories of Alice Dunnigan and Ethel Payne—the first black female journalists to serve in the White House press corps—and is eager to “help bring their stories to life” on the big screen. Maybe her former boss, Netflix producer Barack Obama, is looking for a tax write-off?
In the meantime, Jean-Pierre has been juggling obscure gigs on the DEI speaking circuit. On Monday, she presented the Technological Innovation Award at the MLK Jr. Beloved Community Awards show in Atlanta. Hours earlier, Jean-Pierre gave the keynote address at Eastern Michigan University’s annual MLK President’s Luncheon. She inspired attendees by explaining that Dr. Martin Luther King was a big fan of hope.
“I think that one of the things that he also tried to lift up is being hopeful and what does hope look like?” said Jean-Pierre, a professional communicator. “Hope is taking action and making sure that we are there for each other and making sure we are there for our community.”
Later this month, Jean-Pierre will travel to Illinois State University to deliver the keynote address at the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Dinner. “Seats are $25 for students and $35 for non-students,” the university notes on its website. “Student meal plan holders may use a meal swipe to make a reservation in exchange for one meal.”
In February, Jean-Pierre has back-to-back bookings lined up in New York. She’s giving a speech at Hofstra University and will be the featured guest at The PowHer Dining Experience presented by Black Women of Long Island. Admission is free at the former, whereas VIP tickets to the latter event will soon be available for $375.32—a bargain considering the perks, which include a signed copy of her failed memoir and “photo moments” with the guest of honor.
So there you go. That’s what Karine Jean-Pierre is up to these days—in case you were wondering, which you weren’t. But now you know.
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