The Joe Biden Administration continues to navigate new territory having the first female vice president, Kamala Harris. One of these is how to best utilize her husband, Doug Emhoff, in a supporting role. When breaking new ground, there are going to be some bumps along the way.
One of these bumps or awkward moments occurred on February 7, 2023, right before the State of the Union address. Both President Joe Biden’s wife, first lady Jill Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, were present to cheer on their respective spouses from the audience. Before the speech began, they gave each other an innocent kiss on the lips, which seems to have made some viewers uncomfortable.
Jill arrived after Doug. Coverage of the evening shows her making her way to her seat next to Doug. When she arrived, she grabbed his hands and gave him a kiss on the lips. No one surrounding them was fazed by this action. It was an innocent display of affection from two insiders who understand how difficult their roles are. Jill was once in Doug’s shoes, after all, when President Biden served as the vice president.
Jill and Joe Biden have been married for almost 45 years. They were introduced to each other by Joe’s brother Frank. Both had been previously married. Together they raised two sons from Joe’s previous marriage and a daughter they had together, Ashley. Jill works as a professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College.
Kamala and Doug have been married for almost eight years. They met on a blind date set up by Doug’s friend Chrisette Hudlin. Doug had previously been married to Kerstin Emhoff, with whom he shares two children. Cole and Ella affectionately call Kamala “Momala” since they do not like the term stepmother. Doug is an entertainment lawyer and is on the faculty of Georgetown University Law Center.
