Vice President Harris's Husband Admits to "Inappropriate Relationship with an Elementary School Teacher During First Marriage"

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Also Acknowledge

Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, promptly admitted to reports that he had an affair during his first marriage.

On the 4th, Kukmin Ilbo cited Emhoff's statement on the 3rd (local time), saying, "During my first marriage with Kirsten (ex-wife), we went through a difficult time because of my actions," and added, "I took responsibility, and since then we have worked through things as a family and have become stronger."

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (right) and her husband Douglas Emhoff.
[Photo by Kamala Harris X]

Emhoff's statement came immediately after the British tabloid Daily Mail reported on the matter. Emhoff, who was an entertainment lawyer at the time, married film producer Kirsten in 1993, and they had two children, Cole and Ella.

In the 16th year of their marriage, in 2009, he had an inappropriate relationship with a teacher at an elementary school in Culver City, California, where their children attended, and subsequently began divorce proceedings. Emhoff, who ended his 16-year marriage with ex-wife Kirsten in 2008, met Harris through a "blind date."

The person who connected the two did not even show a photo but said, "Just meet once," and made them promise firmly, "Never search on Google."

Despite doubts, the two reportedly fell in love at first sight when they first met. Emhoff recalled in a media interview last May, "I fell in love with Harris at first sight. By the end of the date, we were talking about our future." It is known that right after the first date, he sent Harris an email listing several months of his available schedule for dating.

Vice President Kamala Harris (left) and her spouse Douglas Emhoff visited the election campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware on the 22nd.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Later, Emhoff knelt on one knee and proposed, saying, "I want to spend my life with you." Harris wrote in her 2019 memoir that she "accepted with tears."

Meanwhile, The New York Times (NYT) reported that President Joe Biden was aware of this during the vetting process before selecting Harris as his running mate in the 2020 presidential election. Vice President Harris was also reportedly aware of the incident before marrying Emhoff in 2014.

Emhoff's ex-wife Kirsten is also known to support Harris. In her statement, she said, "Emhoff and I decided to end our marriage many years ago for various reasons. He is a wonderful father to our children and a great friend to me. I am truly proud of the warm and intellectual blended family that Emhoff, Harris, and I have created together," expressing her continued support.

Earlier, when Republican vice-presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance attacked Vice President Harris by calling her a "childless woman," Kirsten criticized this as well. Although Harris and Emhoff, who married in 2014, have no biological children together, Harris is well known for her special relationship with Cole and Ella. Kirsten said, "Since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has played a co-parenting role with Doug and me," adding, "She lovingly cared for the children, and I love this 'blended family' and am grateful that she is part of it."