It Looks Like Chelsea Clinton Made $26,724 For Each Minute She Appeared On NBC
NBC News declined to confirm Politico's report about Clinton's salary. A spokesperson for the news outlet instead said they, "don't comment on details of existing contracts." Politico also said Clinton's contract "was up for renewal or nonrenewal this year" and she was placed on the payroll on a month-to-month basis to allow her to cut ties with the network if her mother, Hillary Clinton, launches her long rumored presidential bid in 2016.
Assuming Politico's reporting is correct and that Clinton is still earning at the same rate after moving to month-to-month payment, she has earned about $1.55 million from NBC News.
NBC News did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Business Insider asking for information about Clinton's salary or the number of appearances she has made since becoming a special correspondent. However, using Nexis, Business Insider identified 14 appearances Clinton has made on NBC News programs. A source familiar with Clinton's work for NBC told Business Insider "she has two completed reports scheduled to air next week and another two scheduled to begin shooting in the coming weeks."
Clinton's 14 past appearances identified by Business Insider included news segments where she interviewed the Geico gecko and feel-good "Making a Difference" pieces like one on foster grandparents and another on a program to provide therapy dogs to soldiers. She was also interviewed by other NBC reporters about her charity work and role in President Barack Obama's inauguration. In total, Clinton's segments from the past 2 years and seven months lasted just shy of 58 minutes.
This means, based on our analysis, Clinton earned $26,724 per minute she was on air. That amounts to $445 per second. In other words, it's good to be a former First Kid.