Alexi McCammond facts for kids

Alexi Jo McCammond (born 1993) is a political journalist. She served as an NBC and MSNBC contributor, a contributor for PBS's Washington Week, and is currently a reporter for the political website Axios. McCammond appeared on 2020's Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

Education

McCammond attended Guilford High School in Rockford, Illinois. In 2011, she attended the University of Chicago on a full 4-year QuestBridge scholarship, graduating in 2015, with an A.B. in sociology and Spanish language and literature. She received additional training from the National Association of Black Journalists. While at the University of Chicago, McCammond also wrote for student political newspaper The Gate. At the university she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta fraternity. She is of mixed ethnic descent.

Career

McCammond started her career as a freelance political writer for the women's magazine Cosmopolitan and later left to become a news editor at women's online news magazine Bustle. She joined the website Axios in 2017. McCammond wrote about Michael Bloomberg's withdrawal from the 2020 Democratic primary race in March 2020 as well as leaked presidential schedules revealing that 60% of Donald Trump's days were devoted to "executive time" while he was president.

In November 2019, McCammond accused former NBA star and TNT commentator Charles Barkley of threatening her in an Atlanta bar prior to the 2020 Democratic primary debate in Atlanta, Georgia. McCammond reported that, after she commented to Barkley and someone who had joined their conversation that a Barkley remark was contrary to what he had said to her outside the third person's presence, he replied, "I don’t hit women, but if I did I would hit you." Although McCammond has never revealed any threat Barkley made to her, he later issued a public apology for his remark as an "attempted joke that was not funny at all." McCammond replied on Twitter without saying she accepted or appreciated the apology, implying that she equated Barkley's comment to actually being "hit or threatened. . . ," and stating her opinion that the remark was "not a joke. . ." and that it was a product of what she called "the culture of misogyny. . . ."

McCammond received further media attention related to her relationship with TJ Ducklo, a member of the Biden 2020 campaign, while she covered the campaign. Ducklo, White House Deputy Press Secretary under President Biden, was fired for harassing female Politico reporter Tara Palmeri. Ducklo reportedly made "derogatory and misogynistic comments" toward Palmeri during a phone call and accused her of being "jealous" of his relationship with McCammond. The couple publicly announced their relationship in February 8, 2021. On February 12, Ducklo was suspended without pay and apologized. Under pressure from the Vanity Fair article that reported it, he resigned from his White House position the next day.

In March 2021, McCammond was selected as Editor in Chief of Conde Nast's Teen Vogue. Subsequent to the appointment, racist, bigoted and homophobic tweets written by McCammond a decade earlier resurfaced. She apologized to the staff of Teen Vogue. Several media makers of Asian descent called for McCammond's removal, citing the American fashion business's rampant racism against Asians and the rise in anti-Asian violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Former Teen Vogue editor Elaine Welteroth called her tweets and the feelings behind them "racist and abhorrent and indefensible." More than twenty members of the staff voiced concern internally and to the press. In response, Ulta Beauty paused $1 million in advertising in the online-only publication, and McCammond resigned from the position prior to starting in the role.

McCammond rejoined Axios in July 2021 serving as a political reporter.

Awards

McCammond received the 2019 Emerging Journalist Award from the National Association of Black Journalists and was on 2020's Forbes 30 Under 30 list.