Doug Emhoff: The First Jewish Second Gentleman in U.S. History

After Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the 2020 election, Kamala became the first female (and Black and South Asian) Vice President in U.S. history, with her husband, Doug Emhoff, making history as the first second gentleman.

Kamala married Doug on August 22, 2014, and became the stepmother to Doug's two children from his previous marriage. She is now affectionately known as "Momala" by her stepdaughter, Ella, and her stepson, Cole.

With Kamala now in the race for the 2024 presidential election, attention has turned to her husband even more, with folks interested in his background and ethnicity. After all, he could become the first first gentleman in U.S. history. Here’s everything we know about Doug Emhoff's ethnicity and where he hails from.

Doug was born on Oct. 13, 1964, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Jewish parents. This made him the first second gentleman on Inauguration Day (Jan. 20, 2021) as well as the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. vice president. Pretty cool, right?

Here's a photo of Doug and his parents from July 2019.

In September 2020, Doug posted a family photo via Instagram, writing, "This Rosh Hashanah, I’m re-committing myself to do everything I can to help heal our nation & repair the world. My new year's wish is that you will join me. From my family to yours, Shana tova! P.S. throwback pic of the fam when we could all be together — miss you, love you."

Doug is a lawyer, just like Kamala used to be. His most recent gig is that of a partner at the law firm DLA Piper in Los Angeles, Calif. (Fun fact: He has represented the Taco Bell chihuahua in court.)

Doug told The Hollywood Reporter in March 2019, "With all this other stuff that's happening in my life right now, it's great to have [my practice], because it's something that I love and I'm good at."

However, he took a leave of absence after Kamala became Vice President in 2020, and it's unclear if he returned to his position. Nonetheless, he continued to engage in legal endeavors, including teaching law courses at Georgetown University Law Center in January 2020, according to NPR.

AAs of 2024, Doug has an estimated net worth of $6 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Kamala's net worth is reportedly around $8 million, though it’s unclear if these figures reflect the combined net worth of both individuals. A significant portion of that is from the couple's real estate — which includes properties in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco that are estimated to be worth $2.5 million.