Well there’s no beating around this bush: Acting Columbia University president Claire Shipman, who just this year divorced former Obama flack Jay Carney, wasted no time getting engaged—to soccer star Kati Jo Spisak. Shipman, who is 62, first met the 41-year-old Spisak in 2021, while on book tour, according to News Nation. It’s a May-December romance that’s sure to have tongues wagging.
Spisak was a formidable goalkeeper, known for blocking balls, and played in Washington, St. Louis, and Boston. Shipman likewise worked at CNN before switching teams (NBC, then ABC). During their 2021 meeting, Spisak was working for the Washington Spirit and clearly made an impression on Shipman, pressing all the right buttons.
Carney is also supposedly in a new relationship with a woman. The Washington Free Beacon was unable to confirm her identity and whether or not she drives a Subaru or enjoys listening to Indigo Girls.
The Free Beacon has long been a critic of Shipman’s poor handling of anti-Semitic radicals on campus and her muffing negotiations with the Trump administration.
It is not known if Shipman will keep her residence or go downtown with Spisak. Likewise, it remains unclear if the new couple will keep a low profile, dining in, or eating out.
