Megyn Kelly freaks out over column calling Kamala Harris’s husband a ‘sex symbol’

Conservative commentator says ‘the media is absolutely disgusting’ after second gentleman dubbed ‘progressive sex symbol’

Gustaf Kilander
Washington DC
Tuesday 27 August 2024 15:49 BST
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Megyn Kelly freaks out over column calling Kamala Harris’s husband a ‘sex symbol’

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Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly had a minor meltdown over a Washington Post opinion column arguing that second gentleman Doug Emhoff is a “progressive sex symbol.”

Catherine Rampell wrote for The Post that Emhoff, a former entertainment lawyer who’s been married to Harris for 10 years, embodies “the modern female fantasy,” prompting Kelly to call the media “absolutely disgusting.” She also claimed the column was an attempt by Rampell to improve her standing with Democrats.

“She’s the one who wrote the piece ripping Kamala’s economic plan to shreds on the price gouging, saying this is ridiculous when they’re accusing you of being a communist, maybe don’t propose communism as your economic plan,” the commentator said of Rampell, adding that she “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.”

“They either aborted the child or he abandoned the child. Either way, no bueno,” she claimed.

Kelly read an excerpt from the opinion column, in which Rampell wrote: “Emhoff is secure enough with his own masculinity to sometimes prioritize his wife’s ambitions over his own. What. A. Hunk.”

Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris celebrate after she accepted the Democratic presidential nomination during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Emhoff has acknowledged that he had an affair during his previous marriage
Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris celebrate after she accepted the Democratic presidential nomination during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Emhoff has acknowledged that he had an affair during his previous marriage (Getty Images)

“Whatever his previous marital drama, that makes him the working woman’s ideal partner today: He’s a high-achieving alpha but isn’t threatened if his wife is, too,” Rampell added. “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.”

The Independent has contacted Rampell for comment.

Emhoff acknowledged earlier this month that he had an extramarital affair during his previous marriage following a report by the Daily Mail. The relationship was with a teacher at his children’s school and not with a nanny as Kelly claimed.

The affair took place years before Emhoff met Harris. The Mail reported that the teacher became pregnant in 2009 but didn’t have the child. Two sources told CBS News that the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. The network also reported that when the affair took place, Emhoff and his first wife were still legally married but had separated.

Emhoff said in a statement to the press after the Mail story, “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.”

“Doug and I decided to end our marriage for a variety of reasons, many years ago,” Kerstin Emhoff said in a statement to the media earlier this month. “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.”

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