The Strange Detail In Chelsea Clinton's Marriage That Everyone Ignores

Chelsea Clinton has been scrutinized by the public for decades after her tragic days as the first daughter of the U.S. When she married investment banker Marc Mezvinsky, the celebratory occasion was soon followed by critical remarks. The overall cost of Clinton's 2010 wedding was controversial. Six months later, the couple faced rumors about them being doomed to divorce.

At the time, Mezvinsky had left his job to go on a three-month skiing trip in Wyoming while Clinton earned her PhD at Columbia University. The press eventually reported on the couple's willingness to spend time together in person. A gossip reporter at the Daily News told CBS News, "What we can tell you is that instead of relationship crisis it looks like it might be a work crisis for Marc."

Chelsea Clinton never directly addressed the divorce rumors. However, Bari Lurie, the chief of staff at the Clinton Foundation, discussed the rumors' impact on the couple when Vogue profiled Clinton in 2012. "None of it was true," she said, "but what put a strain on them was that the stories were being written because none of us were paying attention to it." Lurie considered the experience an eye-opener for Clinton, who then decided to "demystify" herself. Although the profile helped with that, Clinton and Mezvinsky revealed their opposite natures and upbringings. All these years later, people have largely forgotten the early controversy. Instead, the couple is seen as solid, with few people paying attention to just how different the husband and wife are. 

Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky's connection to the political world clearly brought them together. Clinton met her husband in 1992 at a political retreat, but they started dating in 2005 after she broke up with her then-boyfriend Ian Klaus. Despite both of Mezvinsky's parents being former U.S. representatives, his environment growing up was the opposite of his wife's. Mezvinsky has 10 siblings: four from his father's first marriage, one from his parents' marriage and five adoptive siblings. Neither of his parents served Congress for more than four years either. Clinton, on the other hand, was an only child and grew up in stricter circumstances as the nation's first daughter for eight years. They also come from different religious backgrounds (Clinton's Christian and Mezvinsky's Jewish); their interfaith weddingalso drew controversy at the time.

The spouses also have different personalities. Clinton is detail-oriented and precise with her words, while her husband is more laid back. In Vogue's Clinton profile, Mezvinsky beamed about his wife being the yin to his yang. "I don't want to say I'm aloof, but I definitely can exist in a cloud," he said. "I walk into parking meters. She's the antithesis of that. She's like: This is where the parking meters go!"

Clinton's chief of staff, Bari Lurie, told Vogue that Mezvinsky is a "playful schoolboy stuck inside this wicked-smart, really astute adult body." She also said, "He's as happy goofing off as he is talking finance with world leaders." Chelsea Clinton probably loves this duality about Mezvinsky as much as he loves how she can remember the smallest details. Perhaps their marriage works so well because they see their differences as a chance to learn from each other.