Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, has confirmed that he had an affair during his first marriage, days after details of the affair were published by the British tabloid Daily Mail. The affair occurred before Emhoff’s relationship with Harris, the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee at the time.
In a statement, Emhoff said, “During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side.”
Earlier this week, the Daily Mail reported that Emhoff had a relationship with his then-young daughter’s teacher, which contributed to the end of his first marriage. According to CNN, Joe Biden’s vetting committee was aware of the relationship and the surrounding circumstances four years ago when Harris was being considered as Biden’s running mate.
Emhoff’s affair with the teacher ended years before he began dating Harris. A source told CNN that Emhoff disclosed the affair to Harris before they got married. The Daily Mail’s report also claimed that the woman involved became pregnant during the affair but did not keep the child, according to a close friend.
Kerstin Emhoff, Doug’s first wife, expressed support for her ex-husband in a separate statement. “Doug and I decided to end our marriage for a variety of reasons, many years ago. He is a great father to our kids and continues to be a great friend to me, and I am really proud of the warm and supportive blended family Doug, Kamala, and I have built together,” she said.
Kerstin previously defended Harris when Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance criticized Harris for not having children of her own. Kerstin described Harris as “loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present,” and expressed gratitude for Harris being part of their blended family.
“These are baseless attacks. For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and me,” Kerstin said in a statement in July.
Doug Emhoff’s first marriage ended in 2009, and he married Harris in 2014 while working as an entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, and she was serving as California’s attorney general. The two children he shares with Kerstin are now adults.
