Karine Jean-Pierre to become 1st Black White House press secretary

Karine Jean-Pierre
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The White House is getting a historic new press secretary.

President Biden announced Thursday he has tapped Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary, meaning she will become the first Black person to ever hold that job. She'll also become assistant to the president.

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"Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris administration on behalf of the American people," Biden said. "Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this administration."

Jean-Pierre will be succeeding Jen Psaki, who is leaving her role on May 13 and reportedly joining MSNBC. Psaki praised Jean-Pierre as a "remarkable woman" and noted she will also make history as the first openly gay White House press secretary.

"Representation matters and she will give a voice to many, but also make many dream big about what is truly possible," Psaki said.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.