Karine Jean-Pierre Splits From Her Partner Suzanne Malveaux

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has separated from her longtime partner, journalist Suzanne Malveaux.

Jean-Pierre revealed the news in an interview with Vogue that was published online Thursday. It came in the context of parenting — Jean-Pierre and Malveaux have a 9-year-old daughter, Soleil.

Parenting “has gotten more challenging lately,” Vogue reports. “Jean-Pierre and Malveaux have separated.”

“I’m a single mom who is co-parenting this amazing kid,” Jean-Pierre told the publication. “Our number-one priority is her privacy and to make sure we create an environment that’s nurturing.”

Jean-Pierre and Malveaux met at the Democratic National Convention in 2012. Malveaux was White House correspondent for CNN for more than a decade. She left the position in January.

Jean-Pierre is the first Black person, first out member of the LGBTQ+ community, and first immigrant to be White House press secretary. She assumed the post in May 2022, succeeding Jen Psaki. Jean-Pierre was previously principal deputy press secretary in the White House.

Before that, she worked in the Biden-Harris campaign, first as a senior adviser and then chief of staff to Kamala Harris, making her the first Black person and first lesbian to hold that position for a vice-presidential nominee. She had previously been a staffer in President Barack Obama's administration and in both his presidential campaigns, chief public affairs officer for MoveOn.org, and a commentator for NBC and MSNBC.

In press briefings, she has often commented on LGBTQ+ issues, condemning anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Uganda and in American states such as Florida and Tennessee, and praising the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which wrote marriage equality into U.S. law. She shared her coming-out story last October on National Coming Out Day. She has also used her platform to denounce racism, gun violence and the lack of effort to curb it, and far-right Republicans.

The Vogue profile discusses her hectic schedule and the criticism she has endured on social media, from reporters, and even from some Democratic politicians. The social media comments are sometimes threatening. “People who love me are concerned,” Jean-Pierre told Vogue. “But I do not walk around fearful for my life or my security. That is not something I worry about. I worry more for my daughter.”

Earlier in her life, she didn’t plan on becoming a parent, and it was Malveaux’s idea to adopt a child, Vogue notes. But Jean-Pierre has found that having a daughter has helped fuel her activism even more. “Everything that we do, being led by the president, is going to matter, not just today, but tomorrow and for the rest of our lives,” she told the magazine. “What we do is certainly going to change the trajectory of her life.”

The Advocate is seeking comment from Jean-Pierre on the separation.

Pictured, from left: Karine Jean-Pierre and Suzanne Malveaux