Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, revealed on Saturday that he had an extramarital affair during his first marriage. This admission follows a report by the Daily Mail, which stated that Emhoff and his former wife, Kerstin Emhoff, separated after he fathered a child with their nanny.
“In my first marriage, Kerstin and I faced significant challenges due to my actions,” Emhoff said in a statement to CNN. “I have taken responsibility, and over the years, we have worked through these issues and emerged stronger as a family.”
Emhoff and Kerstin were married from 1992 to 2009 and share two children, Cole, 29, and Ella, 25, whom they co-parent with Harris.
The Daily Mail report indicates that the nanny, Najen Naylor, who was also a teacher at Emhoff’s school, did not deny the allegations when contacted. A close friend with knowledge of the situation revealed that Naylor did not keep the baby.
The Emhoffs’ separation occurred in 2009 after the affair came to light. Sources told the Daily Mail that Naylor had to leave her teaching position at The Willows, a prestigious private elementary school in Culver City, California, where she had also worked as a nanny for the Emhoff family.
The current status of the child and Emhoff’s involvement, if any, remains unclear.
Harris and Emhoff met in 2013 when Harris was serving as California Attorney General and were married a year later. Harris was aware of the affair before their marriage, and the Biden Campaign learned of it during the vetting process in 2020.
Kerstin Emhoff commented on the situation, saying, “Doug and I decided to end our marriage for various reasons many years ago. He is a wonderful father to our children, remains a good friend to me, and I am proud of the supportive blended family that Doug, Kamala, and I have built together.”
