Doug Emhoff Admits to Affair During First Marriage

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff acknowledged Saturday to having an extramarital affair during his first marriage. This confession follows a report about the relationship that appeared in a British tabloid. The affair occurred with a teacher at his children’s school, several years before he met and married Vice President Kamala Harris.

Emhoff’s admission comes after The Daily Mail reported that the teacher became pregnant in 2009 but did not have the baby. CBS News has decided not to name the woman involved in the relationship.

Two sources close to the woman at the time of her relationship with Emhoff told CBS News that her pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. Along with a third source familiar with the relationship, all three said that Emhoff was legally married to his first wife, Kerstin Emhoff, but they were separated when the affair happened. They also clarified that contrary to the Daily Mail report, the woman did not work as a nanny for the Emhoff children. She was a teacher at their school but did not teach either child at the time of the affair.

“During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions,” Emhoff noted in a statement provided to CBS News. “I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side.”

Emhoff, who worked as an entertainment lawyer before becoming second gentleman, shares two adult children, Ella and Cole, with his former wife.

In a statement released Saturday, Kerstin said, “Doug and I decided to end our marriage for a variety of reasons, many years ago. He is a great father to our kids, continues to be a great friend to me and I am really proud of the warm and supportive blended family Doug, Kamala, and I have built together.”

Court records indicate that Kerstin Emhoff filed for divorce in 2009, and it was finalized in late 2010.

A spokesperson for the Harris campaign declined to comment.

A source familiar with the situation told CBS News that Harris knew about the affair before their marriage and that it was also known to those in the Biden campaign who conducted the VP vetting process in 2020.

Harris and Emhoff met in 2013 and married in 2014. They do not have children together. Emhoff’s adult children call Harris “Mamala,” and their close relationship has been widely documented. Harris even presided over Cole’s wedding last year.

Source: CBS News, The Daily Mail