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Who is Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife?

Who was Kamala Harris' husband married to before the vice president?

Kerstin Emhoff speaks onstage during Getting It Made panel at Thomson Reuters during 2016 Advertising Week New York on September 27, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Advertising Week New York)
Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Advertising Week New York

Born Oct. 13, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York, Douglas Craig Emhoff is a lawyer and the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris (since 2014), making him the second gentleman of the United States. Emhoff is the proud holder of two notable “first” titles: the first second gentleman and the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president in United States history.

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As per the White House’s official website, Emhoff has practiced law for over 30 years and, in January 2020, began teaching law courses at the Georgetown University Law Center. He cares enormously about justice and equality in the American legal system and devotes much time to raising awareness about mental health and loneliness. He’s a highly accomplished man in his own right and has a net worth of around $8 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth).

He has a wholesome and loving relationship with his wife, but his marriage to Harris wasn’t his first. So, who was Emhoff married to previously?

Who was Doug Emhoff married to before Kamala Harris?

Doug Emhoff’s first wife was film producer Kerstin Mackin, to whom he was married from 1992 until 2008. She has two children with Doug Emhoff: Ella Emhoff and Cole Emhoff.

According to her IMDb biography, Mackin (who still uses her marital name of Kerstin Emhoff) was born on March 18, 1967, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her production credits include the military documentary The Tillman Story (2010), the crime thriller movie Mojave (2015), the crime thriller movie The Trust (2016), and the sports documentary The Deepest Breath (2023).

She hasn’t disclosed any new relationships publicly and is believed to be single. However, she supports her ex-husband’s new relationship and their subsequent blended family. In fact, she attended the 2021 presidential inauguration, where Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president, and her recent quote describing Harris as “loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present” (as per CNN) was widely circulated and a wonderful indictment of the type of human being she is.