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Kamala Harris Addresses Husband Doug Emhoff’s Affair During His First Marriage
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has opened up about husband Doug Emhoff’s affair while he was married to his first wife, Kerstin Emhoff, in her new book 107 Days.
The issue was brought to light in the public eye in the summer of 2024 when Donald Trump supporter Laura Loomer posted about Doug’s affair with a teacher from one of his children’s schools. In her book, Harris, 60, admits that “of course” she “knew about it” and reveals that he had told her about it “when they were dating.” She also says that the affair was disclosed when she was being vetted for her role as vice president.
“By marrying me and taking a very public stand at my side, Doug had knowingly put himself in the line of fire,” Harris writes in her book, per In Style. “His former wife, Kerstin, had not, and neither had the kids — nor, for that matter, the teacher, who was soon being ambushed by paparazzi in the driveway of her home.”
She continues, “I hated what was happening: that the kids had to be reminded of this awful period, that their friends would talk about it all over again, that Kerstin would have her privacy invaded, and that all of them would be dragged back into a miserable time.”
However, as Harris’s obligations as she ran for president became more intense, she explains that she told Doug, 60, “he would need to deal with it” because she “couldn’t look away from the job in front of [her].”
Both Doug and Kerstin, 58, issued public statements addressing the affair and the latter said that she and Doug had decided to end their marriage “for a variety of reasons” and praised him for being a “great father” to their two children.
In a statement obtained by CNN in 2024, Doug 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.”
Doug and Kerstin were married from 1992 to 2008 and welcomed children Cole, 31, and Ella, 26, while they were together. After their divorce, he began dating Harris and the two officially tied the knot in 2014.
