He has the personality of a “wife type”
Before Emhoff, an entertainment lawyer by profession, began traveling the country and the world on behalf of the government, he was perhaps best known as “Wife Guy” – an over-the-top husband who often posted selfies on social media cheering on his famous wife.
That reputation has suffered somewhat in recent weeks when it was revealed that Emhoff had cheated on his first wife Kerstin, with whom he has two adult children. Both he and his ex-wife announced that they continue to have a good relationship with each other and with Harris as co-parents.
“During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some difficult times because of my actions. I took responsibility and in the years that followed, we worked through things as a family and came out stronger,” Emhoff said in a statement.
Kerstin Emhoff said: “Doug and I decided to end our marriage many years ago for various reasons. He is a great father to our children, continues to be a good friend to me and I am truly proud of the warm and supportive blended family that Doug, Kamala and I have built together.”
The couple divorced years before Doug Emhoff and Harris met. Harris knew about the situation before they married in 2014, and people who vetted Harris as a vice presidential nominee for President Biden knew about it, said a person familiar with the details but not authorized to speak publicly about it.
Emhoff and Harris were set up on a blind date by one of his clients. He said it was love at first sight. On Thursday, when Harris delivers her keynote speech at the end of the Democratic National Convention, the couple will also celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary.
Friends of Harris and Emhoff say the second gentleman’s top priority is to be a good partner to the vice president.
“I love Doug Emhoff,” Senator Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) told NPR. “He’s a relentless, unwavering partner. When the going gets tough, he’s there. Through their ups and downs, he’s there.”
NPRs Alejandra Marquez Janse And Linnea Anderson contributed to this story.
