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US Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff arrive at the Elysee Palace for the inaugural dinner on the first day of the Paris Peace Forum on November 11, 2021 in Paris, France© Getty

Meet Kamala Harris' creative stepchildren Cole and Ella Emhoff

The vice president is "Momala" to her husband Doug Emhoff's children with ex-wife Kerstin Emhoff

Beatriz Colon
Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
July 22, 2024
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America, it's time to meet your potential new first family: Vice President Kamala Harris' family of four.

Though official confirmation won't come until the Democratic National Convention, which starts on August 19, on July 21, the current vice president became the Democratic Party's likely presidential nominee after President Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing from the 2024 race for president.

His shocking announcement came almost a month after a tenuous debate performance against Republican nominee Donald Trump sparked a flood of calls from some of his colleagues and biggest supporters for him to step down as the party's nominee.

Promptly after confirming his withdrawal, he endorsed Harris, who he chose to be his running mate in 2020 after she put an end to her own presidential campaign at the time. In a statement on his social media, he shared: "My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it's been the best decision I've made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it's time to come together and beat Trump."

Harris has since accepted the endorsement, thanking Biden for his over five decades of public service, and sharing: "I am honored to have the President's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda."

In managing these unprecedented times — Biden dropped out 107 days before election day — Harris has by her side not only her staff and the president himself, but also her husband, Doug Emhoff.

Doug Emhoff (from left), Vice President Kamala Harris, Cole Emhoff,  Ella Emhoff at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC© Getty
The Emhoff-Harris family during the 2021 inauguration

Harris and the second gentleman met on a blind date set up by a mutual friend in 2013, and they tied the knot the following year. When they married, she became a stepmom, or rather, "Momala," to Emhoff's two children with his ex-wife Kerstin Emhoff, Cole and Ella, to whom he was married from 1992 until 2008.

Learn all about the second gentleman here, and catch up on who Cole and Ella are below.

Cole Emhoff is seen on November 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California© Getty
Cole pictured in Los Angeles in November 2023

Cole, 30

Though he leads a largely private life, Cole, who was born in 1994, works in entertainment, following in the footsteps of his mother Kerstin, who is a film producer, plus co-founder and CEO of the commercial production company PRETTYBIRD.

According to his LinkedIn, he graduated from Colorado College in 2017, and has since then worked as a film assistant and producer, including in Oscar-nominated film Minari (2020) and in Andy García-led romantic comedy Father of the Bride (2022).

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In the fall of 2023, he married wife Greenley Littlejohn, who he started dating in 2020. His mom Kerstin helped plan the wedding, which was held in Los Angeles, and walked him down the aisle, while his stepmom officiated the ceremony.

Ella Emhoff wears black bras, a black mesh top, gray suit flared pants, a black leather bag, outside Proenza Schouler, during New York Fashion Week, on September 09, 2023 in New York City.© Getty
Ella has a knitting business

Ella, 25

Ella, born in 1999, was the unlikely star of Biden's inauguration in January 2021, especially after the plaid, sequin-adorned Miu Miu coat that she wore quickly went viral. Just one week later, she was signed to leading modeling agency IMG Models, and that May, she graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York City.

Ella Emhoff walks the runway during the Cecilie Bahnsen Womenswear Fall Winter 2023-2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on March 01, 2023 in Paris, France.© Getty
The model is based in New York City

MORE: Kamala Harris makes statement after Joe Biden drops out: 'Together we will fight'

At the time, she was already known in the city for selling knitted clothing and accessories that she made herself. Since then, in addition to furthering her modeling career with campaigns and runway shows for Miu Miu, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, and Stella McCartney, among others, she has also launched Soft Hands Inc., which hosts monthly events during which she teaches people how to knit.

She frequently shares her creations, which include knitted paintings, on her social media, and in June of this year, she officially signed with veteran talent agency UTA, with hopes of expanding her oeuvre.

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