June 13, 2014

Revealed: Chelsea Clinton earned an annual salary of $600,000 at NBC News even though she is barely on the air and the show she was working for has been cancelled

Chelsea Clinton joined NBC in 2011 but her last segment aired in January
Contract switched from annual to month-to-month because she will not stay with the network if her mother runs for president
Was originally a special correspondent for Rock Center with Brian Williams but the show went off the air in June 2013
Also unclear if she will continue making the infrequent taped segments after she gives birth this fall
News of her salary came the morning after she attended a charity function wearing leather pants, a Chanel necklace and Christian Louboutin heels
She and her husband bought a $10.5million apartment last spring

PUBLISHED: 11:56 EST, 13 June 2014 | UPDATED: 15:04 EST, 13 June 2014

Chelsea Clinton had a $600,000 annual contract with NBC but has recently switched over to a month-to-month arrangement in case her mother runs for president.

The news network would cut ties with the former first daughter if her mother formally announces that she will be seeking the presidency, and the month-to-month contract would be an easier way to do that.

It is not clear how much she earns in the monthly deal, but Politico reported that her contract was up for renewal or non-renewal this year.

Peacock pay up: Chelsea Clinton started working for NBC in 2011 and making segments for the now-defunct Rock Center with Brian Williams (pictured) but her most recent contribution aired in January

She joined the network as a special correspondent with a three-month trial period starting in November 2011 before she was signed on full time.

The segments that she worked on showed up largely on the now-defunct Rock Center with Brian Williams, and her most recent coverage aired on Nightly News but her last contribution came in January.

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Neither NBC nor Clinton commented on the report of her salary, but the number prompted an outcry in the media world.

While it is not uncommon for well-known anchors to earn multiple millions per year, but Clinton's reported annual salary is high for the frequency of her segments.

Earning her keep: Chelsea switched from an annual to a month-to-month contract earlier this year (pictured with her mother watching over her at a function n New York City on Thursday)

Luxury look: Chelsea wore leather pants, a Chanel necklace and Christian Louboutin heels to the Thursday event

By comparison, her salary is higher than both of the last two editors of the New York Times.

The paycheck inevitably helped Chelsea, 34, and her husband when they bought a $10.5million apartment next to New York's Madison Square Park last spring.

It is not clear how much fellow first daughter Jenna Bush Hager, who is a Today Show correspondent, makes as part of her contract.

Paying the mortgage: Chelsea and her husband Marc bought this four bedroom apartment overlooking Madison Square Park in Manhattan for $10.5million last spring

The NBC paycheck is just part of her take-home pay, however, since she has been spending most of her time working for her family's eponymous foundation.

Her mother's expected presidential run is not the only factor that could weigh into her contractural switch from year to month since she is expecting her first child this fall.

She has not discussed what she plans to do when the baby is born and whether or not she will return to NBC as a mom.

The Politico report about Clinton's salary comes just days after her mother's book was released, and during an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer she said that the family struggled financially after leaving the White House in 2001.

'We came out of the White House not only dead broke but in debt. We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to piece together the resources for mortgages for houses, for Chelsea’s education. You know, it was not easy,' she said.

Chelsea Clinton paid $600K by NBC