The Truth About Kamala Harris' Husband, Douglas Emhoff

Kamala Harris is making history as the first woman of color to be named as a vice presidential running mate. While people may know a lot about the California senator's professional life, her private life is a little less well-known. If Joe Biden becomes president, Harris' husband, Douglas Emhoff, will be the first-ever Second Gentleman of the United States. Is he up to the challenge? While Emhoff isn't a politician like his wife, he does have a law degree from the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law with decades of experience under his belt. According to his bio at global law firm DLA Piper, where he is a partner, Harris' husband is, quote, "a highly experienced litigator and strategic advisor" who "represents 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." As if that doesn't keep him busy enough, he's also involved in numerous charities. As Emhoff is licensed to practice law in both California and Washington D.C., he'll have no problem moving across the country if his wife becomes vice president. He was born in Brooklyn, after all, so he's no stranger to the East Coast. So how did Harris and Emhoff meet? According to the Hollywood Reporter, the couple were set up on a blind date by a PR consultant in 2013. Thanks to Harris' 2019 book, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, we're privy to a few more of the juicy details of the beginning of their love affair. The couple's first text messages took place while Emhoff was at a Lakers game. As for the first time she met Emhoff's kids, Harris reportedly kept it cool and casual in Chuck Taylors, and sweetened the deal with cookies. The couple were married the following year in August. SFGate reported that the ceremony was low-key, and took place in a Santa Barbara courthouse. Harris' sister, Maya Harris, presided over the nuptials, while her niece, Meena Harris, read a poem by Maya Angelou. Though the affair was intimate, Harris and Emhoff held tight to their cultural traditions by having a flower garland placed around the groom's neck, and by marking the end of the ceremony with the breaking of a glass. While Kamala Harris and her husband don't have children together, Emhoff has two children from a previous relationship. According to Oprah magazine, Emhoff's ex-wife Kerstin is mom to Cole and Ella. Harris is a devoted stepmother, whom the kids reportedly call "Momala". In a piece for Elle in honor of Mother's Day 2019, Harris wrote about her relationship with her stepchildren. "They are my endless source of love and pure joy. I am so thankful to Doug, to Kerstin, and most of all, to Ella and Cole. And as our family embarks together on this new journey one that has taken me to South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Nevada, and Michigan in the last few weeks alone I can say one thing with certainty, my heart wouldn't be whole, nor my life full, without them." Vogue reported in 2018 that son Cole graduated from Colorado College in May 2017, and at the time was working for William Morris Endeavor. Meanwhile, daughter Ella was attending Parsons School of Design. As a long-tenured partner in a law firm, it seems Douglas Emhoff has done pretty well for himself. In 2019, the Washington Post reported that Harris and Emhoff's 2018 tax returns indicated a joint income of $1.9 million, about $1.4 million of which was attributed to Emhoff's salary. And the Post further reports that the lawyer's income has been upwards of $1 million since the two started filing joint returns in 2014. What does all that add up to when it comes to Emhoff's net worth? According to Forbes, with real estate assets and retirement accounts tallied up, the couple is worth about $6 million a figure that is bound to go up if Harris gets to the White House. Watch the video to learn The Truth About Kamala Harris' Husband, Douglas Emhoff! #KamalaHarris #DouglasEmhoff