The first marriage of Doug Emhoff, the husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris, ended after Emhoff had an affair with his children's nanny, resulting in her becoming pregnant, the Daily Mail reported in an exclusive piece on Saturday.
The Second Gentleman cheated on his first wife, Kerstin, with Najen Naylor, who also taught at their children's private school. Following the affair, sources said that Naylor had to leave her job as a teacher at The Willows, a California elementary school where she had been teaching the Emhoff children.
“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,” Emhoff said in an exclusive comment to CNN.
When approached by the Daily Mail for comment, Naylor did not deny the claims but responded only with ‘I’m kind of freaked out right now.'
The claims were revealed to the Daily Mail by a friend with knowledge of the affair and subsequent pregnancy. According to the friend, Naylor did not keep the baby. However, her social media shows a baby girl called Brook in 2009, the year the child would have been born.
Comments on the affair
Another friend confirmed the affair with Emhoff, noting to the Daily Mail that Naylor did not keep the baby.
Emhoff's spokeswoman, Liza Acevedo, did not immediately provide a comment, and ex-wife Kerstin Emhoff reportedly hung up the call.
However, according to CNN, Kerstin later said that the marriage ended for multiple reasons and that Doug continues to be a "great friend."
Emhoff, 59, and producer Kerstin, 57, ended their 16-year marriage in 2009 after she found out about the affair, the Daily Mail said. Their daughter Ella and son Cole were 10 and 15, respectively, at the time of the divorce.