Kamala Harris’s stepdaughter has a simple response to extreme MAGA rumors

Ella Emhoff is the stepdaughter of Kamala Harris, the daughter by first marriage to her husband Doug Emhoff. And she’s furious at cruel rumors spreading about her.

After Harris’s concession speech on November 6, pictures of Emhoff crying circulated over social media. Let’s face it, though, she was far from the only one crying that night. America chose a convicted felon over a highly qualified woman and it was very hard to process, especially for people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and other groups who will be the worst affected by Donald Trump’s policies.

But the rumor that spread wasn’t just about Emhoff crying. Some people were insistent that she’d had a mental breakdown and had gone to hospital for treatment. If she had, there’d be no shame whatsoever in that, but she hadn’t. And she proved she hadn’t with an Instagram Story on November 9. “OK, I’m just gonna go out and say it,” she declared. “There’s a rumor about me having a mental breakdown and getting checked into a hospital. Not true.” Then she pointedly added, “Also f*** you if you’re out there spreading that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with showing emotion and crying,” she went on. “Anyone who says there is probably needs a good cry. I’ve struggled with my mental health my whole life and I’m not ashamed of it.” She concluded, “I’ve literally just been here playing fetch with Jerry.” Jerry is her dog, who appeared in the picture she chose. It goes without saying that the presidential election has been an unfathomably stressful time for Emhoff. She had to suspend the activities of her knitting club, Soft Hands, because it simply became too dangerous. But she’s been at her stepmother’s side throughout her campaign.

Emhoff’s mother has also gotten involved

The Harris-Emhoff families are very successfully blended, and Emhoff’s mother Kerstin has spoken out about the rumor as well. “More MAGA bs against my family. Leave my kids alone,” she wrote on X in response to someone making the false claim. “Ella is doing great and spending a lovely day with her mom! Having the ability to show your emotions is something we should all hope for. It’s ok to not feel great right now. We aren’t letting anyone break our family down.” This post ensured that a community note was added to the original assertion on X, marking it as a lie.

Much was made about Kamala Harris’s family during the election. Because Ella and her brother Cole aren’t Harris’s biological children, “just” stepchildren, Harris was called a “childless cat lady” by JD Vance and MAGA. This utterly infuriated a lot of women out there, including Taylor Swift, who later endorsed Kamala Harris in a post she signed with, “Childless Cat Lady.” Yet it absolutely shouldn’t have mattered at all whether or not Harris had given birth, and it’s a terrible shame that that certain people chose to attack her for it. But despite it all, the Harris-Emhoff clan is clearly a lot more loving than, say, the Trump family. Hopefully they’re all finding solace in each other in the wake of Harris’s defeat.