Doug Emhoff ‘Modern Day Sex Symbol’ Claim Mocked: ‘Disgusting’

A number on conservative figures have mocked a recent Washington Post article that suggested Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband is a “sex symbol.”
On Friday, The Washington Post published “Doug Emhoff, modern-day sex symbol,” an opinion piece by columnist Catherine Rampell in which she described the second gentleman as a “hunk” for being “secure enough with his own masculinity to sometimes prioritize his wife’s ambitions over his own.”
Megyn Kelly, a political commentator and former Fox News host, commented on Rampell’s column during her SiriusXM show on Monday, saying, “The media is disgusting.”
In her column, Rampell noted that Emhoff, formerly a corporate attorney at a prestigious firm, left his position ahead of Harris’ inauguration as vice president in January 2021 to avoid any appearance of conflicts of interest.
“Whatever his previous marital drama, that makes him the working woman’s ideal partner today,” Rampell added, referencing Emhoff’s recent acknowledgment that he had an affair while married to Kerstin Emhoff. The lawyer and his first wife divorced years before he began dating Harris.
The Daily Mail reported that the woman Emhoff had an affair with became pregnant, with a close friend saying she “did not keep the child.” Emhoff is said to have told Harris about the affair well before they got married in 2014.
Rampell also wrote: “He’s a high-achieving alpha but isn’t threatened if his wife is, too. He loves his job, but he loves his wife more. He knows that ‘supporting’ one’s family is about more than financial support, and that temporarily setting aside his own professional ego makes him no less of a man.”
“What do women want? To be valued and supported as much as they deserve, both privately and in public. On that score, Emhoff looks like a dreamboat,” the columnist added.
Kelly suggested that Rampell wrote the glowing piece about Emhoff after her previous article criticizing Harris’ economic plan to target price gouging “got killed by her readers on the left.”
“So a week later, she writes this drivel, trying to rehabilitate herself with the left, about the current second gentleman—a man who, may I remind you, cheated on his first wife with the nanny whom he impregnated,” Kelly said.
“They either aborted the child, or he abandoned the child. Either way, no bueno,” the host continued.
Newsweek has contacted Harris’ team for comment via email.
Other conservative figures also disputed the idea that Emhoff is a “sex symbol.”
Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade said the column went “beyond reproach in terms of biases.”
Social media user Joey Mannarino, who supports former President Donald Trump and has more than 538,000 followers on X, formerly Twitter, added: “The Washington Post just said that Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris’s husband, is a modern day sex symbol. What in the entire f*ck are they are talking about?”
In a statement confirming his previous affair, Emhoff said: “During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side.”
Kerstin Emhoff, who is a prominent supporter of Harris’ White House bid, added: “Doug and I decided to end our marriage for a variety of reasons, many years ago.
“He is a great father to our kids, continues to be a great friend to me and I am really proud of the warm and supportive blended family Doug, Kamala, and I have built together.”