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Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff could make history as America’s first First Gentleman after President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid on Sunday.
TOAt the end of his campaign, the oldest US president admitted that “the best thing for the country” was not to seek re-election for a second term.
Biden, 81, has endorsed Harris, 59, to succeed him as the Democratic nominee to face Donald Trump in November.
But who exactly is her husband, Doug Emhoff? How did they meet and do they have children together?
Continue reading below to find out everything you need to know about the man who could become America’s first gentleman.
Kamala Harris, left, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff arrive in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 11, 2023.
Doug Emhoff whispers to Vice President Kamala Harris as they watch fireworks over the National Mall from the White House balcony on July 4, 2024
Who is Doug Emhoff?
Doug Emhoff, 59, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Matawan, New Jersey, by his parents, Mike and Barbara, with his siblings, Jamie and Andy.
After moving to Los Angeles as a teenager, Emhoff earned a Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Northridge and a Juris Doctor (enabling him to practice law) from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
Before making history as the only man to hold the title of First Gentleman in American history, he was a partner at the law firm DLA Piper.
Emhoff represented “major national and international corporations and some of today’s most high-profile individuals and influencers in complex commercial, real estate and intellectual property litigation disputes,” according to his biography on the practice’s website, which has since been removed.
He opted for a career change once Harris was elected vice president in 2021, as he chose to move made the transition to teaching.
Emhoff’s career change led him to join the faculty of Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., where he served as a distinguished practice visitor and taught a class on disputes in entertainment law.
He also served as a Distinguished Fellow at Georgetown Law School’s Institute for Technology Law and Policy.
How did Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris meet?
Emhoff and Harris reportedly met on a blind date in 2013, while Harris was serving as California’s attorney general, and the meeting was arranged by public relations consultant Chrisette Hudlin, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
After a year of dating, the couple married on August 22, 2014, in a ceremony that took place at the courthouse in Santa Barbara, California.
Emhoff and Harris also made the touching decision to honor each other’s heritage: Harris is of Indian descent while Emhoff is Jewish.
In this video, Doug was wearing a flower garland and Kamala was breaking a glass, a common act at Jewish weddings that has numerous important connotations for followers of Judaism.
Together, Kamala and Doug have two stepchildren, Cole and Ella, from the latter’s previous marriage to film producer Kerstin Emhof.
Doug, Kamala, Cole and Ella are seen at the 2021 inauguration when their stepmother became the first female vice president.
How is Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris’ family configured?
Together, Kamala and Doug have two stepchildren, Cole and Ella, from the latter’s previous marriage to film producer Kerstin Emhoff.
In 2019, Kamala wrote an essay for Elle in which she described the couple as her “endless source of love and pure joy.”
Kamala’s eldest stepchild, Cole, was born in 1994 and works alongside his mother in the entertainment industry.
She has appeared as an extra in both Father Of The Bridge and Minari, as well as producing the short film Peacocking and starring in another, Dance Lady Dance, according to her profile on IMDb.
In October 2023, Kamala officiated Cole’s wedding to Greenley Littlejohn, which took place in an intimate ceremony in downtown Los Angeles.
Doug also has a 25-year-old daughter, Emma, a model and fashion designer who graduated from New York’s Parsons School of Design in May 2021.
In a 2019 essay for Elle, Kamala revealed that her stepdaughter was named after American jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald.
In 2021, Ella gained attention for the Miu Miu coat she wore to President Biden’s inauguration ceremony and, just a week later, signed with the prestigious modeling agency IMG Models, according to The New York Times.
What has Doug Emhoff done as Second Gentleman?
As Second Gentleman of the United States, Emhoff traveled to 37 states and fourteen countries, and his travels included conversations with gender ministers from Japan and France about equality in the workplace.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff criticized Trump’s comments on Israel in March after the former US president claimed that Jews who vote for Democrats “hate Israel.”
He has also been outspoken on the importance of curbing antisemitism in the US, working as part of the House Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.
According to its website, the organization works to “combat anti-Semitism, promote Holocaust education and remembrance, and eliminate anti-Semitic hatred and prejudice.”
In March, he condemned former President Donald Trump, calling him an “anti-Semite” for claiming that Jews who vote for Democrats “hate Israel.”
Trump criticized the Biden administration and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer during an interview with former White House adviser and now radio host Sebastian Gorka.
“I really think they hate Israel,” the former president said of Democrats.
Responding to Trump’s comments during a campaign visit to Omaha, Nebraska, Emhoff said: “This is a disgusting, toxic, anti-Semitic thing for anyone to say, let alone a former president of the United States.”
However, Emhoff previously admitted that he did not necessarily expect to become the voice of American Jews after Kamala became vice president.
Reflecting on how grateful he has been for the support he has received after trying to combat antisemitism in the US, Doug said in 2022: “I didn’t realise how important it would be not only for the Jewish community and faith communities, but also for myself.”
“It’s actually brought me a lot closer to faith. It’s opened my eyes to a lot of things.”
