Doug Emhoff’s Ex-Wife Defends Kamala Harris Against ‘Childless Cat Lady’ Attacks

Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool

Vice President Kamala Harris was the target of criticism for not having biological children, but the mother of her stepchildren jumped to her defense.

Kerstin Emhoff , the ex-wife of Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff , provided a statement to CNN on Wednesday blasting the “baseless attacks” on Harris by people, including Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), who called women who didn’t have biological children “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives” in a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson . The interview made the rounds in the days following former President Donald Trump naming Vance as his running mate.

In her statement, Ms. Emhoff said: “These are baseless attacks. For over ten years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.”

Harris and Ms. Emhoff have spoken out before about their close relationship. Harris penned an op-ed for Elle Magazine discussing their friendship and their family, saying of Ms. Emhoff: “To know Cole and Ella is to know that their mother Kerstin is an incredible mother. Kerstin and I hit it off ourselves and are dear friends. She and I became a duo of cheerleaders in the bleachers at Ella’s swim meets and basketball games, often to Ella’s embarrassment. We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost a little too functional.”