Now that they've officially been dubbed Vice President and second gentleman of the United States, I think it's time to do a deep dive into Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's relationship timeline. The couple made major history on Jan. 20, 2021 when Harris was sworn in as Vice President of the United States. She is the first Black vice president, the first Asian vice president, and the first female vice president in American history. For his part, Emhoff is the first second gentleman and the first Jewish second spouse in American history.
The moment was incredible — not just for the world to watch, but for the two of them as a couple. After examining their body language on stage, Patti Wood, a body language expert and author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charismatold Elite Daily, "What is striking is how we see that — with the world looking on as she turns from being inaugurated — this is their moment, exclusive of anyone else. Their focus is solely on each other. This — and his eyes looking down on her, her uplifted head, and open, up-raised arms — show their love."
That love goes back seven years. I have their whole adorable story detailed for you below:
The world has Reginald and Chrisette Hudlin to thank for Harris and Emhoff's adorable relationship. Reginald is a filmmaker who's a client of Emhoff's, a lawyer. Chrisette is a PR consultant and close friend of Harris'.
When Chrisette first proposed the set up to Emhoff, the attorney admitted he recognized Harris as the Attorney General of California and replied, "Oh my God, she's hot." Chrisette passed Harris' number along to Emhoff.
Obvi, like any self-respecting modern woman would, Harris did Google her blind date before they actually met IRL — a tidbit she didn't reveal to Emhoff until a January 2021 interview with CBS Sunday Morning. "She said, 'Just trust me. Just trust me.' You know, she wanted me to just kind of go into it," Harris recalled of Chrisette's pre-date advice. "She said, 'Don't Google him.' I did!"
Emhoff was floored by the revelation. Case in point, this Instagram he hilariously captioned, "When you find out your wife actually *did* Google you before your first blind date."
Emhoff told CBS Sunday Morning that the day before their date, he left Harris a "ridiculous voicemail, which she has saved and plays back to me on our anniversary every year." Harris called the voicemail "adorable," adding, "The thing about Doug is that he is exactly who he is. He's just fully authentic and clear about the things he cares about."
Needless to say, the date went well. So well that Emhoff was ready to lay all his cards on the table. "The morning after our first date, Doug emailed me with a list of his available dates for the next couple of months. 'I'm too old to play games or hide the ball,' the email read. 'I really like you, and I want to see if we can make this work,'" she recalled in her 2019 memoir, The Truths We Hold.
In a 2020 profile of Emhoff by Marie Claire, the attorney revealed he proposed to Harris during a "decidedly unromantic conversation (she was deliberating between chicken or shrimp pad thai)" less than a year after their first date.
By August 2014, they were married. Harris and Emhoff tied the knot in a courthouse ceremony in Santa Barbara, California. Maya Harris, the vice president's sister, was the officiant. It was then that Harris received a new moniker.
"When Doug and I got married, Cole, Ella, and I agreed that we didn’t like the term 'stepmom,'" Kamala wrote in a May 2019 essay for Elle. "Instead they came up with the name 'Momala.'” Not only does it rhyme with her first name, it also sounds like a term of endearment that roughly translates to "dear Mom" in Yiddish.
In 2016, Harris ran for Senate in the state of California. Emhoff was by her side every step of the way, even coming with her to cast their votes at the Kenter Canyon Elementary Charter School Auditorium in Brentwood, California.
Emhoff held the Bible as then-Vice President Joe Biden administered Harris' Oath of Office back in 2017.
Look! At! This!
In 2019, Harris ran an unsuccessful campaign to become the Democratic candidate for President of the United States. Emhoff could not have been more supportive the whole way through.
In fact, he made his way into the spotlight in June 2019 when a protestor jumped on stage and grabbed the microphone out of Harris' hand during MoveOn’s Big Ideas Forum in San Francisco.
As CNN put it, "Douglas Emhoff jumped in and wrestled the microphone from the protester."
Um, also, just a minute to appreciate this picture of himtaking a selfie with her on his campaign sticker-clad iPhone just moments before she gave a speech on the campaign trail?
In August of 2020, Biden selected Harris to be his running mate in the presidential election. Per Town & Country, Emhoff's ear was reportedly "pressed to the door when Harris took the call from Biden asking her to be his running mate."
As the campaign continued, Emhoff stepped away from his job as a partner at DLA Piper law firm to fully support the campaign and avoid any conflicts of interest with his work.
On Jan. 20, 2021, Harris became the first female vice president, the first Black vice president, and the first Asian vice president. Emhoff became the first Jewish second spouse and the first male second spouse.
In that same interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Doug said of the diversity he and his wife represent, "It reflects America. And that's what it should be. It should just be about love and unity."
Amen to that.
