Why We Don't See Chelsea Clinton And Marc Mezvinsky's Three Kids
Chelsea Clinton spent her teenage years in the spotlight. It was far from a good experience. Just 12 when Bill Clinton won the election in November 1992, Chelsea had her looks compared to a cocker spaniel by Rush Limbaugh and was mocked in a "Saturday Night Live" skit the following year. Being made fun of became part of her daily life. Her time as first daughter taught her valuable lessons she carried on when she became a mother herself.
Chelsea and Marc Mezvinsky started their family in September 2014 when they welcomed their daughter Charlotte. They expanded the brood in June 2016 with the birth of their son Aidan, and then again when their second son Jasper was born in July 2019. Because of what she went through, Chelsea makes her children's privacy one of her top priorities. That doesn't mean they haven't been subjected to verbal abuse. Chelsea still experiences plenty of harassment anywhere she goes.
And the attacks are often directed at her kids as well. "I hope your children die so your family line dies with you," Chelsea recalled of one particular threat on "Jemele Hill Is UnBothered" in 2020. Other attacks are even more vicious. "I hope your kids wind up in ashes, that's where all Jewish kids should wind up," she added. Chelsea knows that's her family's reality. "The amount of hate is so intense," she said. The only thing she can do is try to protect them the best she can and teach them to do the same.
Chelsea Clinton wants her children to have the anonymity she lacked
Throughout her adolescence, Chelsea Clinton wished she could retreat into the background. She wants Charlotte, Aidan, and Jasper to have that option. "I am fiercely protective of my children's privacy. They are the most important part of my life," she said at a CBS panel discussion for Mental Health Awareness Month in 2023 (via People). To give them that benefit, she never shares photos of them on any public forums and avoids taking them to highly publicized events.
That's also partly the reason Chelsea never got on Instagram or TikTok, social media platforms that emphasize visual over written communication. "I would never show a picture of their faces or our family's faces, and it would feel just weird to me to be on Instagram, a visual media," she explained. But she doesn't want her children to feel like they have to hide. Instead, she strives to teach them self-preservation and give them the tools to act accordingly in light of hateful attacks.
"As I think about raising brave, resilient kids, I try to think more about what I want to learn from my experience as a child instead of being reactionary to it," she said on Variety's "Power of Women" issue in 2022. Hillary Clinton couldn't be more proud of her daughter's capacity to turn a negative experience into a powerful lifelong lesson. "She's been so consistent, and I really respect that," the former U.S. Secretary of State said.
Chelsea Clinton has become an advocate for other first children
Chelsea Clinton always takes a stand whenever first children become media targets. Clinton was often among the celebrities who boldly defended Sasha and Malia Obama, standing up for the former first daughters' right to live a normal life. But her defense isn't restricted to children of Democratic presidents. Clinton has leaped to Barron Trump's defense more than once as well. After Barron turned 18 in March 2024, many argued he should now be fair game because he was no longer a child.
Clinton disagreed. "He's a private citizen," she said on "The View" shortly after his birthday. "I feel very strongly that, if you are a private citizen, you have an unimpeachable right to privacy." That was far from the first time she defended Melania and Donald Trump's son. From as early as 2017, Clinton had been arguing for his right to stay away from the spotlight.
When The Daily Caller criticized Barron for dressing in a graphic T-shirt and shorts, Clinton was one of the high-profile figures who took a stand. "It's high time the media & everyone leave Barron Trump alone & let him have the private childhood he deserves," she tweeted. The cause is close to Clinton's heart because she feels there haven't been enough efforts to preserve first children's privacy. "I feel such a palpable sense of responsibility because I wish more people had been standing up publicly for me," she said in the Variety interview.