Doug Emhoff Seemingly Admits to Cheating on First Wife, Leading to Their Divorce

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has already made history in the White House as the first male spouse of a vice president during Kamala Harris’s time in that office. Beyond that, however, he was also divorced before he met Kamala in 2013 after his first marriage to Kerstin Emhoff (née Mackin).

Doug and Kerstin were married for 16 years and had two children, Cole and Ella, before they divorced in 2008.

Five years later, Doug met Kamala. But why did Doug and Kerstin get divorced? The lawyer recently took the blame for the end of his first marriage.

In a 2016 Marie Claire profile about Doug, it was revealed that he and Kerstin, now the co-founder and CEO of Prettybird production company, got married in 1992. They divorced after 16 years of marriage, and the reason behind their divorce hasn't been made public until August 2024, when Doug broke his silence admit tabloid reports he cheated.

"During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side, Doug said in a statement to CNN.

Doug seemingly admitted to reports he had an affair with his then-young daughter’s teachers. According to The Daily Mail, the woman became pregnant but decided not to keep the baby. The relationship ended years before Doug began dating Kamala.

Doug's ex-wife also released a statement, saying, "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."

Kamala has often said that their blended family is “almost too functional” as she and Kerstin have become friends over the years of co-parenting Ella and Cole.

“When [Doug and Kamala] first started dating and [Kamala] was [attorney general of California], I just thought, ‘Wow, that’s cool. Don’t mess this up!’” Kerstin told Marie Claire. Once Kamala went on the campaign trail as Biden’s running mate, Kerstin stepped up to volunteer for the campaign, shocking staffers and media pundits alike.

"We really hit it off ourselves and became friends,” Kamala wrote in her 2019 memoir, The Truths We Hold. In fact, the three of them even attended spin classes together.

“When she was [California attorney general] and senator, I’d meet them at the SoulCycle by their house, and we’d take a class together,” Kerstin told Politico. “There’s just no chance of doing that now … We’ve talked about that but I think it would torture Secret Service.”

In fact, when J.D. Vance tried to insult Kamala by calling her a “childless cat lady,” Kerstin had one of the fiercest defenses. “These are baseless attacks. For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I,” Kerstin Emhoff shared in a statement to CNN. "She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it."

While Kerstin tries to keep her love life private, she coyly hinted at her own budding romance in 2021. “Maybe,” Kerstin told Politico when asked if she had a special someone. “I don’t need any people that are in my personal life getting any spotlight. It’s already complicated enough.”

Kerstin may be close to the spotlight because of her association with Kamala and Doug, but it seems like she’s doing just fine.