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Updated Oct 07, 2024All About Vice President Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's Love Story
Did you know she Googled him before their first date?
Kamala Harris is the Vice President of the United States of America, meaning her husband, Douglas Emhoff, is the first-ever "second gentleman" in the nation's history. Harris, a junior US Senator from California and President Joe Biden's pick for VP, has filled numerous roles throughout her political career, starting as a lawyer and transitioning into politics as a former state attorney general. Now, Harris is the first-ever, female vice president in the history of the country—and she's campaigning to be elected as the first female president later this year.
Into her ascent as Vice President of the United States of America on January 20, 2021, Harris has inspired countless future leaders across the country, while expressing gratitude for her husband and family for their relentless support throughout her career in public service. In private, Harris has been a wife and stepmom (adoringly referred to as "Momala") since her 2014 wedding to Emhoff. Read all about Kamala Harris and her husband's endearing love story, the details behind their intimate nuptials and more little-known facts about their high-profile marriage here.
- Kamala Harris is married to Douglas Emhoff. They have been together for 11 years.
- Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff met on a blind date in 2013.
- Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff got married on August 22, 2014, in Santa Barbara, California.
- Kamala Harris is a stepmother to her husband's children from a previous marriage: Cole, 30, and Ella, 25.
In this article:
- Who is Kamala Harris' Husband, Douglas Emhoff?
- How Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff Met
- Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's Relationship Timeline
- All About Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's Children
Who is Kamala Harris' Husband, Douglas Emhoff?
Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Kamala Harris is married to Douglas Emhoff, who is officially known as the United States' first "Second Gentleman." Born on October 13, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York, Emhoff was raised in New Jersey before his family relocated to Southern California. He attended the University of California, Northridge, where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
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Emhoff embarked on a career in entertainment, sports and media law, and opened his own firm in 2000. After selling the business in 2006, he became a partner at the firm DLA Piper after he and Harris moved to Washington DC in 2016. When she announced her candidacy for president in 2020, he took a leave of absence. Then, when she was elected Vice President, he resigned from the firm. In 2021, he began teaching classes at Georgetown University Law Center.
How Kamala Harris and Her Husband Douglas Emhoff Met
Kamala Harris met her husband on a blind date after being set up by a close friend. (Fun fact: According to The Knot 2023 Jewelry & Engagement Study, 15% of all engaged couples meet through the commonality of mutual friends.)
What's a meet-cute without the internet research first? In January 2021, Harris admitted in an interview with CBS' Sunday Morning that she did, in fact, Google her future husband. "[My best friend] said, 'Just trust me. Just trust me,'" Harris recalled. "You know, she wanted me to just kind of go into it. She said, 'Don't Google him.'" In a fit of laughter, Harris added: "…I did!"
Emhoff made the first move on the then-California Attorney General by asking her out. "So I left this ridiculous voicemail, which she has saved and plays back to me on our anniversary every year," Emhoff said in the same interview. "I thought I'd never hear from her again. But?"
"He, it was adorable," Harris laughed. "I mean, the thing about Doug is that he is exactly who he is. He's just fully authentic and clear about the things he cares about. And it's family, it's his work."
Kamala Harris and Douglas Emhoff's Relationship Timeline
Kamala Harris' love story with her husband goes back over 10 years, when they were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. Since then, Emhoff has fiercely supported his wife throughout her historic political career. Look back at the couple's complete relationship timeline here.
2013: Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff Meet on a Blind Date
Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's initial meet-and-greet took place at an unknown location in San Francisco, where she was previously an elected district attorney. The date, of course, was a success and Emhoff followed up immediately for a second, Harris wrote in her memoir. "I'm too old to play games or hide the ball," he wrote in an email to Harris. In that same note, he also sent his schedule along to secure more time together. "I really like you," he wrote, "and I want to see if we can make this work."
March 27, 2014: Doug Emhoff Proposes to Kamala Harris
In a press conference, Harris revealed her engagement to the public while she held her post as California's attorney general. Emhoff proposed privately in his then-girlfriend's apartment on March 27, 2014. By then, the couple had dated for "about a year," Harris said at the time, according to the Sacramento Bee.
He popped the question with a "simple" engagement ring: a round brilliant diamond set on a platinum band. In the same press conference, she had made the wedding timeline clear by remarking, in typical Harris confidence, "I don't believe in long engagements."
August 22, 2014: Kamala Harris Marries Doug Emhoff
True to her word, Kamala Harris and her husband were married just five months later. Kamala Harris' wedding to Doug Emhoff took place on August 22, 2014, at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. They shared an intimate ceremony, which was officiated by the bride's sister, Maya Harris. The bride's niece, Meena, read Maya Angelou's poem "Touched by an Angel" during the ceremony, and Emhoff and Harris each wrote their own vows.
As Emhoff is of Jewish upbringing, the couple honored their new marriage by including the "breaking of the glass" during their ceremony, a Jewish wedding ritual. Harris, who was raised largely in Oakland and self-identifies as "mixed-race" as she is of Indian and Jamaican descent, identifies as a Black Baptist. It was her first time getting married, while it was Emhoff's second.
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In a November 2021 interview with People, Kamala Harris' close friend Stacey Johnson-Batiste called their wedding "simply gorgeous," thanks to the "elegant, private and relaxing" atmosphere. "He absolutely adores her," Johnson-Batiste said. "He wants to protect her. He's very supportive of her career. And I think that he is the perfect compliment to her in that he understands her and the role that she has."
2017: Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff Relocate to Washington DC
In 2016, Kamala Harris launched her campaign for the 2016 California Senate election. A top contender from the start, Emhoff supported his wife in her political aspirations. She won, and in 2017 the couple relocated to Washington DC for the next step of her career.
November 2020: Doug Emhoff Supports Kamala Harris As She's Elected Vice President
Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
In January 2019, Kamala Harris announced her intention to run for president. Despite a spirited campaign, Harris ended her bid in December of that year—and her husband supported her during that difficult moment. "She made that decision, and I would have supported whatever she decided," Emhoff said to Marie Claire in 2020. "But I'm not her political adviser. I'm her husband. And so my role was to be there for her, to love her, to have her back, to talk it through, to help her."
Alas, Harris was selected by Joe Biden to be his running mate for the 2020 presidential election. In her first statement after the historic pairing announcement, Harris said, "I can't wait for America to get to know Doug. My family means everything to me." When the pair ultimately won the election, Emhoff celebrated his wife's success, writing on Instagram, "So proud of you ❤️❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸."
In her first speech as Vice President-elect, Harris thanked her family, saying, "To my husband Doug, our children Cole and Ella, my sister Maya, and our whole family—I love you all more than I can express."
January 2021: Doug Emhoff Becomes the Nation's First Second Gentleman
Photo: Gabrielle Lurie / The San Francisco Chronicle | Getty Images
Both Kamala Harris and her husband made history when she was sworn into office on January 20, 2021. As the first female and Black and Indian-American vice president in US history, Emhoff supported his wife by holding two Bibles during her ceremony.
"I am honored to be the first male spouse of an American President or Vice President," Emhoff wrote on X that day. "But I'll always remember generations of women have served in this role before me—often without much accolade or acknowledgment. It's their legacy of progress I will build on as Second Gentleman."
2024: Kamala Harris' Husband Supports Her Campaign for President
On July 22, 2024, President Joe Biden confirmed that he would not seek reelection as president—and on the same day, Kamala Harris launched her candidacy for the role. After thanking Joe Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, for their leadership, Doug Emhoff shared a photo of himself holding a "Harris for President" sign on Instagram, writing, "Time to make history, @KamalaHarris."
All About Kamala Harris and Douglas Emhoff's Children
Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff openly speak about their blended family, which includes his children from a previous marriage: Cole, 30, and Ella, 25. Prior to their engagement, there was one big moment for the couple, which involved the vice president's first greeting with her beau's kids.
"When I met Doug, the man who would become my husband, I also met a man who was a divorced father of two children, Cole and Ella, named after John Coltrane and Ella Fitzgerald," Harris wrote in an Elle essay. "As a child of divorce, I knew how hard it could be when your parents start to date other people. And I was determined not to insert myself in their lives until Doug and I had established we were in this for the long haul. Children need consistency; I didn't want to insert myself into their lives as a temporary fixture because I didn't want to disappoint them. There's nothing worse than disappointing a child."
"So, we took it slow," she continued, "and Doug and I put a lot of thought into when and how I would first meet the kids. And that meant waiting." At some point, the couple became aware that their relationship was special. "As we waited, anticipation grew," she added. "When the day finally came, I had butterflies in my stomach. The plan was to go to a seafood hut off the Pacific Coast Highway called the Reel Inn, a favorite of the kids."
After the wedding, Cole and Ella agreed they would refer to Harris as "Momala," a term of endearment that they've since shared publicly. "They are brilliant, talented, funny kids who have grown to be remarkable adults," Harris wrote of her step-children in the essay. "I was already hooked on Doug, but I believe it was Cole and Ella who reeled me in."
"Our time as a family is Sunday dinner," she continued. "We come together, all of us around the table, and over time we've fallen into our roles. Cole sets the table and picks the music, Ella makes beautiful desserts, Doug acts as my sous-chef, and I cook."
In a January 2021 interview with the New York Times, Cole joked about how "Momala" has its moments. "I was a senior when they got together, and I remember I saw a tweet that someone did," he recalled. "It was a photo of Kamala at the Kavanaugh hearing, and someone tweeted, like, 'I'd hate to have to look at that face and explain why I'm late for curfew.' And I was thinking, 'I've literally had to do that.'"
Ask anyone close to the couple and they'll describe the pair as just that: "coupley," according to Cole. "It depends on the setting. Because Doug and Kamala together are like almost vomit-inducingly cute and coupley," he said. "I'm like, When is this going to wear off?"
"It's so insane," Ella added. "It's like the honeymoon phase forever. Like, the rest of the world gets to see it on social media, but we live that."
