9 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Doug Emhoff

Senator Kamala Harris shattered one of the highest glass ceilings in the country when she became the first Black and first South Asian-American woman to be elected Vice President. In doing so, she has also ushered in the nation’s first Second Gentleman, her husband, Doug Emhoff.

Scary Mommy rounded up nine things you probably didn’t know about America’s first Second Gentleman.

He’s an entertainment lawyer who represented the ad agency TBWA in a lawsuit over the rights to the Taco Bell chihuahua featured in the “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” ads.

He was splitting his time between California and Washington, D.C., but since Harris was announced as Biden’s pick for Vice President, he has taken a leave of absence. He’s been on the road rallying support, virtually campaigning, and setting the bar high for the next Second Gentleman.

He’s the first Jewish person married to a President or Vice President.

On Instagram, he posted his wish for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, during this unprecedented year. He wished for everyone to join him in doing everything they could to “help heal our national and repair the world.” In August, The Forward gave him the honor of being their “hot Jewish dad crush.”

The first Second Gentleman was born in Brooklyn, NY, but moved to California as a teenager.

His father was a women’s shoe designer who moved the family to Los Angeles when Emhoff was in high school. He attended law school in California at the University of Southern California, and, according to his law firm’s webpage, maintains a strong presence in Southern and Northern California.

He has two children from his first marriage.

When Emhoff and Harris met, Emhoff was a single dad. He was married to his first wife, Kerstin Emhoff, for sixteen years, and they have two children together, Cole and Ella. Emhoff is committed to his blended family, as is Harris, who joked in a piece for Elle magazine that their “modern family is almost a little too functional.”

Emhoff met Harris on a blind date and the rest is, as they say, history.

They were set up by PR consultant, Chrisette Hudlin, after Emhoff both complimented and admired Harris. The morning after their first date, Emhoff emailed Harris a list of his available dates for the next couple of months and told her, “I want to see if we can make this work.” They got engaged about a year later and married shortly thereafter in 2014. He’s also proven to be a strong Instagram husband, and includes frequent tributes to his wife and photos of them together. Indeed, his bio lists “@kamalaharris hubby” right after “dad.”

When a protestor jumped on stage to interrupt Harris’s speech, Emhoff jumped on stage to help remove him.

Harris’s interview at the MoveOn “Big Ideas Forum” about the gender pay gap was interrupted by a protestor who jumped on stage and snatched the microphone from her. Emhoff joined security to stop the man before he could finish his first sentence and escort him away.

From Dr. Jill Biden to Chasten Buttigieg, Doug Emhoff has built bonds with the spouse’s of other well-known Democratic politicians.

Emhoff bonded with Chasten Buttigieg, husband of South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, during the early days of the Democratic primary race. Since then, they’ve formed a friendship based on the unique lived experience of being a powerful politician’s spouse and have even supported each other when the media has turned a harsh eye.

After Biden announced Harris as his VP Pick, Emhoff and Jill Biden made their friendship social media official in an adorable Twitter exchange. Dr. Biden tweeted “Hey @DouglasEmhoff. Are you ready?” to which he replied, “Ready to work! Let’s go @DrBiden!” She responded, “Let’s win this, together.”

He has his own hashtag: #DougHive.

Harris’s supporters proudly declare they are part of the #KHive, and likewise Emhoff’s supporters are part of the #DougHive. Proud members of the #DougHive tweet about how much they adore his quiet and steady support of his glass-ceiling shattering wife.

He’s supportive AF.

When Harris dropped out of the Presidential Race, Emhoff told Marie Claire. “I’m not her political adviser. I’m her husband. And so my role was to be there for her, to love her, to have her back, to talk it through, to help her.”

In that same article he also said, “Our relationship and the way I roll, my whole life has just been to support the people I love unequivocally, and they support me…The whole thing has been based on parity and mutual respect.”

America’s first Second Gentleman is a self-proclaimed “wannabe golfer,” but more importantly he’s an advocate for justice and equality. He’s a person who obviously believes in family and values people and relationships. In other words, he’s going to be a great Second Gentleman.