Doug Emhoff reveals surprising story of how he met Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris’ family gathered to support her at the Democratic National Conference. Among those present were her husband Doug Emhoff and stepchildren Ella and Cole. The event offered a chance for her family to give the public a glimpse of her life outside her role as Vice President of the United States, highlighting her as a loving wife and stepmother.

Doug Emhoff, Kamala’s husband, took a moment to share the story of how they met—a story that might surprise many. Their introduction came about through a blind date set up by one of Doug’s clients. “That’s how I ended up with Kamala Harris’ phone number,” he told the audience.

Calling Kamala was not an easy task for Doug. He decided to call her early in the morning: “Now, for generations, people have debated when to call the person you’re being set up with. And never in history has anyone suggested 8:30am,” Doug joked. Despite the unconventional timing, he dialed. He reached her voicemail and, nervously, he began to ramble.

In his awkward voicemail, Doug recalled saying, “‘Hey… It’s Doug… I’m on my way to an early meeting… Again it’s Doug.’ I remember trying to grab words out of the air and put them back in my mouth, and for what seemed like far too many minutes, I hung up.” Kamala still teases Doug about this first voicemail; she makes him listen to it on every anniversary.

Later that day, Kamala returned his call. She happened to be waiting at her apartment for a contractor to work on her kitchen. Doug, meanwhile, was at his desk eating lunch when his phone rang. They talked and laughed for an hour, instantly hitting it off.

Doug was previously married to Kerstin Emhoff, with whom he has two grown children, Cole and Ella. His son, Cole, also made an appearance at the conference to share his perspective on Kamala’s role in their family.

“My parents split when I was in middle school and that wasn’t easy. That’s not easy for any kid,” Cole said in a video. “But it helped that my parents stayed friends and we all kept hanging together. We grew closer than ever.”

Cole recounted how his father’s blind date with then–California Attorney General Kamala Harris drastically changed all their lives. “In 2014, Kamala became Momala,” Cole said, referencing the affectionate nickname given to Kamala by Drew Barrymore in an interview. “She took over Sunday night dinners and taught Doug how to actually cook.”

Source: Hello Magazine