Ella Emhoff

Emhoff was born on May 29, 1999 to Doug Emhoff, an entertainment lawyer,[2] and Kerstin Emhoff, a film producer.[3] She was named after the jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald.[4] On her father's side, Emhoff is of Jewish descent.[5][6] Emhoff was not raised in the Jewish faith.[7][8] She has an older brother, Cole Emhoff.[9] Her parents divorced in 2009.[2][10][11] In 2014 her father married Kamala Harris, a lawyer who was then serving as the Attorney General of California.[10][12] Emhoff and her brother coined the term "Momala" for their stepmother.[4][13] Emhoff, whose family are members of the Democratic Party, was raised around politics.[14][15] She and her family, as supporters of same-sex marriage in California, were active in fighting against the 2008 California Proposition 8.[14][15] In 2017, her stepmother was elected to the United States Senate, representing California.

Emhoff graduated from Wildwood School, where she was a member of the swimming and basketball teams, in 2018.[9][4] She is a student at the Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she is majoring in fine arts with a concentrated focus in apparel and textiles, and is expected to graduate in 2021.[9][13]

In 2014, Emhoff made a cameo in the music video for Bo Burnham's song "Repeat Stuff".[9]

Emhoff designs jackets, hats, coats, and knitted shorts, which she sells from her Instagram account and her website.[14][15][16] She also sells ceramics, paintings, and drawings from her website.[17][18]

In January 2021, Emhoff was signed with IMG Models, an international modelling agency based in New York City.[13][19][20] She has gained attention for having tattoos and refusing to shave her armpit hair.[3][21] The agency announced her contract on Twitter.[22] Prior to signing with IMG Models, Emhoff, who was then-represented by Joseph Charles Viola, was featured in an editorial for the independent fashion magazine Buffalo Zine.[13][15][23]

She is a member of The 3% Movement, an organization focused on increasing the number of women creative directors in the United States.[24]

Emhoff lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn and has been popularly referred to as the "The First Daughter of Bushwick".[3][14][22] Her family has homes in Brentwood, Los Angeles, South of Market, San Francisco, and West End, Washington, D.C.[25]

Emhoff (third from right) at Kamala Harris' senate swearing in ceremony with Joe Biden in 2017

In July 2020, Emhoff posted on Instagram supporting wearing face masks as a method to prevent the spread of COVID-19.[15] She is a supporter of LGBT rights, particularly as an advocate for the rights of transgender people.[15] In 2020 she announced she would support the organization For the Gworls, a black, transgender-led collective that fundraises money to help black transgender people pay for rent, gender-affirming surgeries, travel, and medical care.[15][18][26]

Emhoff spoke in the livestream of the 2020 Democratic National Convention in August 2020.[3][27]

On January 20, 2021, Emhoff attended the 59th U.S. Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., where her stepmother was sworn in as the Vice President of the United States[9][22] Her father is the first Jewish spouse of a United States Vice President, and the first Second Gentleman of the United States.[7] Her stepmother is the first woman, first African-American, and first Asian-American to serve as vice president.[15]

• Official website
• Ella Emhoff at IMDb