Confession from the Second Gentleman
US Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, revealed on Sunday (Aug 4) that he had an extramarital affair during his first marriage. This confession follows a Daily Mail report alleging that Emhoff impregnated his children’s nanny.
The affair involved Najen Naylor, a nanny at the private school attended by Emhoff’s two children, and occurred over 15 years ago while he was married to his then-wife, Kerstin.
“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,” Emhoff said in a statement provided exclusively to CNN.
According to the Daily Mail, Naylor did not keep the baby, as revealed by a close friend with knowledge of the pregnancy. However, specifics regarding what the friend meant by ‘not keeping the baby’ remain unclear.
Meanwhile, Emhoff’s first wife, Kerstin, also defended him in a statement on Saturday. “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,” she said according to the CNN report.
Emhoff’s first marriage ended in 2009, years before he married Kamala Harris in 2014, during which time he was an entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, and she was serving as California Attorney General.
The affair and its surrounding circumstances were reportedly disclosed to Joe Biden’s vetting committee four years ago when Harris was being considered as a running mate. According to a source familiar with the matter, Doug Emhoff has long regretted his actions and was aware that they could become public knowledge, as reported by CNN.