Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff could make history as America’s first-ever First Gentleman, after President Joe Biden ended his bid for re-election on Sunday.
As he ended his campaign America’s oldest ever president admitted it was in the ‘best interests of the country’ for him not to seek re-election for a second term.
Biden, 81, endorsed Harris, 59, to succeed him as the Democratic nominee to take on Donald Trump in November.
But who exactly is her husband Doug Emhoff? How did the pair meet and do they have any children together?
Read on below for everything you need to know about the man who could become the inaugural First Gentleman of the United States.
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 obtained a Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Northridge and a Juris Doctor – allowing him to practice law – from the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law.
Prior to making history as the only man to hold the title of First Gentleman in US history, he was a partner at DLA Piper law firm.
Emhoff represented ‘large domestic and international corporations and some of today’s highest profile individuals and influencers in complex business, real estate and intellectual property litigation disputes,’ according to his biography on the practice’s website, which has since been deleted.
He opted for a change of career once Harris was elected as Vice President in 2021, as he chose to move transitioned into teaching.
Emhoff’s switch of career saw him join the faculty at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., where he served as a distinguished visitor from practice and taught a class on entertainment law disputes.
He also served as a distinguished fellow at Georgetown Law’s Institute for Technology Law & Policy.
How did Dough Emhoff and Kamala Harris meet?
Emhoff and Harris reportedly met on a blind date in 2013, while Harris was serving as the attorney general of California, with the meeting set up by PR consultant Chrisette Hudlin, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Having dated each other for a year, the couple married on August 22 2014, in a ceremony which took place at the Santa Barbara courthouse in California.
Emhoff and Harris also made the touching move of honoring one another’s heritage – with Harris being of Indian descent while Emhoff is Jewish.
This saw Doug sport a flower garland, with Kamala breaking a glass, a common act at Jewish weddings that has numerous important connotations for followers of Judaism.
What is Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris’ family set up?
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 which saw her describe the pair, as her ‘endless source of love and pure joy.’
The eldest of Kamala’s stepchildren, Cole, was born in 1994 and works alongside his mother in the entertainment industry.
He 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 his profile on IMDb.
In October 2023, Kamala officiated Cole’s wedding to Greenley Littlejohn, which took place at 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 the American jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald.
In 2021, Ella gained attention for the Miu Miu coat she wore to President Biden’s swearing-in ceremony as just one week later, she was signed to the prestigious modeling agency IMG Models, per The New York Times,.
What has Doug Emhoff done as Second Gentleman?
In his role as Second Gentleman of the United States, Emhoff traveled to 37 states and fourteen countries, with his trips including discussions with gender ministers in Japan and France on equality in the workplace.
He has also been vocal about the importance of curbing antisemitism in the US, working as part of the Congressional House Bipartisan Task Force for Combatting Antisemitism
According to its website, the organisation works to ‘combat antisemitism, promote education and Holocaust remembrance, and eliminate anti-Semitic hatred and bias’.
In March, he condemned former President Donald Trump, calling him ‘anti-Semitic’ for claiming that Jews who vote for Democrats ‘hate Israel’.
Trump criticized the Biden administration and Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer during an interview with former White House advisor and now-radio host Sebastian Gorka.
‘I really believe they hate Israel,’ the former president said about the Democrats.
Addressing Trump’s comments during a campaign visit to Omaha, Nebraska, Emhoff said: ‘This is a disgusting, toxic, anti-Semitic thing to say by anyone, let alone a former president of the United States’.
However, Emhoff previously admitted that he was not necessarily expecting to become a voice for Jewish Americans after Kamala became Vice President.
Reflecting on how he has been grateful for support he has received after seeking to combat anti-Semitism in the US, Doug said in 2022: ‘I didn’t realise what a big deal it would be not only to the Jewish community and to faith communities but to myself’.
‘It’s actually driven me a lot closer to faith. It has opened my eyes to a lot of things’.