Who Is Doug Emhoff's Son, Cole Emhoff? All About the Second Gentleman’s Older Child

Mar. 15, 2025

Cole Emhoff, Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris in September 2020.Photo:Doug Emhoff/Instagram

Doug Emhoff/Instagram

Doug Emhoffis a father to two children, including his son Cole Emhoff.

The second gentleman and hisex-wife Kerstin Emhoffwelcomed Cole, 30, in September 1994, five years before welcoming their daughter Ella in May 1999. After Kerstin and Doug divorced in 2010, Dougwent on to remarryVice PresidentKamala Harrisin 2014. Since then, Kamala has developed a strong bond with both of her stepchildren.

While Cole typically lives out of the public eye, a video he made in collaboration with Kerstin took center stage at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20 ahead of Doug’s speech. In the video, Cole detailed how thoughgoing through his parents' divorce was hard, it was made easier when the now-2024 Democratic presidential nominee entered the picture in 2013 and became his and Ella’s “Momala.”

“Our blended family wasn’t used to politics or the spotlight, but when Kamala became senator, we were all excited to step up. Especially my dad,” he said in thevideo.

Cole said his father’s relationship with Harris inspired his own with his wife, Greenley Littlejohn, whom he married in October 2023.

From his passion for film production to his wedding, here’s everything to know about Doug Emhoff’s first child, Cole Emhoff.

Cole was raised in California

Doug Emhoff and Cole Emhoff playing pickleball in June 2024.Doug Emhoff/X

Doug Emhoff/X

Cole was born on Sept. 15, 1994, in California, and was named after jazz musician John Coltrane. On his 26th birthday in 2020, Doug reflected onInstagramon the special day he became a father for the first time.

Cole grew up in California, where his father worked as a lawyer and his mother was a producer.

He has a close bond with his younger sister

Cole Emhoff, Ella Emhoff and Doug Emhoff at a rally in May 2019.Doug Emhoff/Instagram

When he was just a few months shy of turning 5, Cole’s younger sister, Ella, was born on May 29, 1999. The two have remained close, often appearing together in support of Doug and their stepmother.

Cole works for a production company

Cole Emhoff introduces his father, second gentleman Doug Emhoff during the second day of the Democratic National Convention on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.Chip Somodevilla/Getty

Chip Somodevilla/Getty

Cole quickly warmed up to Harris after his father started dating her

Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris, Ella Emhoff and Cole Emhoff in a “family selfie” in July 2019.Doug Emhoff/Instagram

In a conversation with his father and sister forGlamourin 2020, Cole reflected on the first time he met Harris. He shared that he was a senior in high school when his dad told him he’d been seriously seeing someone and she was the attorney general of California.

“I was kind of in my own world, just about to graduate, go to college,” Cole said. “And then I met her and we had this amazing dinner. And I realized like, Oh, my God, Doug has met someone who is completely unique and totally special.”

He added that their first meeting was dinner at The Reel Inn, and on the way there, they bonded over their shared love of music and Harris' affinity for cooking. Cole said he appreciated how she and his father ribbed each other and how “special” she was.

After Harris had integrated into their family, Cole said he had first gotten to know her as a person before her career as a politician. But that didn’t mean her political side didn’t come through at all — especially during Sunday night dinners.

“We would just have these real conversations at dinner, almost Socratic, where we would all bounce off each other,” he said. “It’s so interesting when I hear her speak publicly or read about her policy position. I’m like, Okay, I’ve seen that reflected at the dinner table, so I know it’s true to her.”

Harris officiated Cole’s wedding in October 2023

The bond between Harris and Cole deepened when she officiated his wedding to Greenley Littlejohn on Oct. 14, 2023. The vice president reflected on the special occasion a month later in an interview with PEOPLE where she shared what the moment meant to her.

“It was so wonderful thatthe kids asked me to do it,” she said. “For us, we think of marriage as being not just between these two people, but the coming together of families. So it was very much with that spirit that we all participated.”

Harris added that, above everything, she wanted Cole and Littlejohn to know they had her support and the support of the entire Harris-Emhoff blended family.

“I love my husband. I love our marriage,” she told PEOPLE. “I want for those two [Cole and Greenley] to have a loving marriage where they are best friends and they know that it’s not just them against the world, that our family supports them. That the community of people that came together at the wedding supports [them].”

He has supported Harris' 2024 presidential campaign

Doug Emhoff greets his son Cole before speaking on the second night of the Democratic National Convention on August 20, 2024.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty

On Aug. 20, Cole took the stage at the DNC to introduce his father and help rally for Harris to become the next president. In a video he made with the production help of his mom, Cole told Doug’s story of working at McDonalds when he was in high school to becoming a lawyer.

He also shared a personal aspect of his life, detailing how his parents' divorce affected him.

“My parents split when I was in middle school and that wasn’t easy. That’s not easy for any kid,” Cole said in the video. “But it helped that my parents stayed friends and we all kept hanging together. We grew closer than ever.”

Cole called the moment Doug met Harris “the blind date that would dramatically change all of our lives forever.” From laughing at how the two fell in love to appreciating how she taught Doug to cook, Cole said Harris' entrance into his life changed it forever.

source: people.com