Second gentleman Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife jumped to his defense after he admitted having an affair during their marriage more than a decade and a half ago — insisting they split for a “variety of reasons.”
Kerstin Emhoff expressed support for her former husband, who is now married to Vice President Kamala Harris, after news of the extramarital affair broke over the weekend.
“Doug and I decided to end our marriage for a variety of reasons, many years ago,” Kerstin Emhoff told the Washington Post in a statement Saturday. “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.”
Emhoff’s affair with a blond nanny, Najen Naylor, who taught at a private school attended by their two kids, reportedly resulted in a pregnancy.
Naylor did not keep the baby, a close friend with direct knowledge of the affair and pregnancy told the Daily Mail without elaborating.
Emhoff owned up to the affair in a statement to CNN that did not name Naylor or address her alleged pregnancy.
“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,” he said.
The affair was disclosed to President Biden’s vetting committee four years ago before he chose Harris as his running mate on the 2020 ticket, a source told CNN.
The person also said Emhoff told Harris about the affair long before they got married and that the relationship with Naylor ended before Emhoff began dating Harris.
Kerstin and Doug, 59, were married from 1992 to 2008 before he wed Harris, also 59, in 2014.
He and his movie producer ex-wife divorced in 2009 after she apparently learned about the affair.
The couple cited “irreconcilable differences” in their divorce papers, records show.
They share a son, Cole, 29, and a daughter, Ella, a 25-year-old model and fashion designer.
Despite the split, the couple has continued co-parenting alongside Harris.
Kerstin Emhoff has also shown support for Harris’ presidential bid, sharing her cover of Time magazine on her Instagram account and writing, “LFG!!!! It’s time for democrats to put their differences aside and find common ground. We can’t give up and lose to DJT. ALL HANDS ON DECK!! Kamala Harris for President!”
She also came to Harris’ defense after former President Donald Trump’s running mate pick, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), made sexist comments calling her a “childless cat lad[y].”
“For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I,” she told CNN.
“She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective and always present,” she continued. “I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.”
