On Monday, NBC News announced that former White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest will be joining the network as a political analyst. Earnest served as President Obama’s press secretary from 2014 to 2017 and had been working with the former president since 2007. After dealing with a room full critical reporters on a daily basis, Earnest should have no difficulty stepping up with on-air commentary on any host of political issues.
Earnest’s new position was forecast on NBC’s Today, and the peacock network commended the years of experience that he’ll bring to its news division. NBC News President Noah Oppenheim said in a memo that Earnest will be reporting out of the Washington, D.C. bureau and will be covering a wide variety of topics:
“Josh recently completed a ten-year run with President Obama, most recently serving as White House Press Secretary from 2014-2017…With his wealth of experience and insight, Josh will be a great addition to our roster of contributors and will be an asset for our two networks as we continue to cover the White House, Congress, and politics beyond the Beltway.”
As The Hill points out, Earnest joins a long list of former press secretaries who have capitalized on their success in Washington, D.C. to land TV gigs. Jay Carney, Robert Gibbs, Dana Perino, and Ari Fleischer are just a few of the White House veterans who have done the same in recent years. So, will Sean Spicer face the same prospects one day? If he doesn’t calm down a little bit, Spicey might want to bank on a tell-all memo instead.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter & The Hill)