Journalist Annie Karni's Divorce Essay: A Personal Story of Politics and Parenthood

In a personal essay for Vogue, New York Times journalist Annie Karni recounts the summer of 2025 following the abrupt end of her 10-year marriage. She describes an uncontrollable urge to share the news of her divorce with the politicians she covers, including Senator Chuck Schumer, Representative Nancy Mace, and Steve Bannon. Karni reflects on the challenges of balancing a demanding career in political journalism with new parenthood, noting that her marriage had become a series of transactions. She details conversations with these figures, their reactions, and the awkward but sometimes supportive exchanges. The essay also touches on her children's adjustment, her own emotional journey, and the eventual subsiding of her need to overshare. Karni concludes by noting the lack of a standard response to divorce, contrasting it with the formulaic responses to pregnancy, and reflects on the dual identity of being a parent and a single person again.