Meet Cole Emhoff: Kamala Harris’ stepson calls her ‘Momala’ and she even officiated his wedding last year, but he’s following his mum – producer Kerstin Emhoff – into entertainment

Aug 21 , 2024

Cole Emhoff with his father Doug Emhoff, stepmother Kamala Harris, and sister Ella Emhoff. Photos: @coleemhoff, @douglasemhoff/Instagram

Cole Emhoff said it was ‘love at first sight’ when he met his then future stepmother after she started dating Doug Emhoff; the two have formed a close bond, with Harris officiating his 2023 wedding

Cole grew up talking politics over the dinner table with his blended family, but now he’s working for Brad Pitt’s production company, which is behind films like the Oscar-nominated Minari

Before Kamala Harris became the current vice-president of the United States and the imminent Democratic nominee for president in the upcoming election, she was a stepmother-to-be. When she first started dating her now-husband Doug Emhoff in 2013, she soon had to prepare to meet her future stepchildren, Ella and Cole Emhoff – and was understandably nervous.

Cole Emhoff with his dad, Doug Emhoff, stepmother Kamala Harris, and sister Ella Emhoff. Photo: @douglasemhoff/Instagram

“When the day finally came, I had butterflies in my stomach,” she told Elle magazine in July. “On my way to meet Doug, I picked up a tin of cookies and tied a ribbon in a bow around them. I took a few deep breaths. I was excited, and I was nervous. I rehearsed what I would say.”

It turns out that she needn’t have worried. Harris recalled that “Cole and Ella couldn’t have been more welcoming”, and that after she married their father, the pair started calling her “Momala”. Cole confirmed that there were good impressions all around at that first meeting, telling Glamour magazine in 2020 that it was “love at first sight”.

So, who is Cole Emhoff, and what has shaped his personal and professional journey up to this point?

Cole Emhoff’s early days

Born on September 15, 1994 to lawyer Doug Emhoff and film producer Kerstin Emhoff, Cole was named after renowned jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, per People.

His parents separated while he was in middle school. “Divorce was extremely common in our world in LA,” he told The New York Times in 2021. “It was hard at first, but I always think, like, I’m so happy they divorced, because I think it really brought us closer.”

Doug Emhoff posted this photo with his children, Cole and Ella Emhoff, for Father’s Day in 2018. Photo: @douglasemhoff/Instagram

The dad and kids trio, who nicknamed themselves the “Palazzo Crew” after the apartment complex that Doug moved into after the divorce, would frequently grab sandwiches from the Whole Foods deli counter before eventually moving on ordering to pre-made meals from Craigslist, per the same source. However, when Doug began dating Harris, things started to change. He even became a good cook!