Ella Emhoff was thrust into the spotlight following her stepmom Kamala Harris’ inauguration in January 2021. She became a member of the Second Family of the United States and was suddenly placed under public scrutiny. Still, it was no biggie for Ella as she was used to standing out from the crowd and living large.
Ella was a tween when her parents divorced in 2008. Luckily, the split was amicable and had minimal impact on her life. “I just thought we were a family with divorced parents who get along. Like it wasn’t something crazy,” Ella told The New York Times in January 2021. “It was just something that I would hope would be the norm. I thought we had it good compared to a lot of other people I’d seen with divorced parents. So I think I felt really lucky.” She felt even luckier when her dad, Doug Emhoff, married Harris in August 2014, awarding her a second mom. Or “Momala,” as Ella and her brother Cole Emhoff call the politician.
According to Forbes, Harris and Doug’s net worth is $8 million, around 20 times higher than the average for their age bracket. So, it’s safe to say that Ella and Cole don’t want for anything. That said, she’s no mooch. Ella has a fancy job and is a rising star in the fashion industry. Ella’s modeling career also has enabled her to mingle with the beautiful people, so we’re diving into her incredibly lavish life.
Ella Emhoff’s elite education
Ella Emhoff’s lavish life started when she was young. She attended the prestigious Wildwood School, which according to its website, “combines academic excellence with innovative practices to nurture high achieving, emotionally intelligent students who are uniquely prepared to thrive in an ever-changing world.” Tuition runs at $31,500-$37,250 per year in addition to $4,225 in fees. Famous alums include the offspring of Steven Spielberg, Demi Moore, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, and Rob Reiner.
To many teens, Ella would appear to have been living the dream, but she felt like a fish out of water in sunny Cali. “I didn’t feel like I was able to fully grow into myself until I moved to New York,” she told Vanity Fair in August 2021.
Ella traded coasts after high school and enrolled at the esteemed Parsons School of Design in Manhattan, following in the footsteps of Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, Isaac Mizrahi, and Bill Blas, among other fashion industry icons. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. “Congratulations to our daughter Ella on her graduation. I am so proud of you. Keep dreaming with ambition and there is nothing you cannot achieve. Love, Momala,” Kamala Harris captioned a photo of the two on X, formerly Twitter, in May 2021. “My darling Ella, we are such proud parents! We love you so much, and are very much looking forward to all you do in the future,” Doug Emhoff posted on Instagram.
Ella Emhoff’s designer duds
Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, had fashionistas drooling when she took the stage at her Momala’s inauguration in January 2021. The newly anointed second daughter was clad in a custom-designed Batsheva Hay dress and a bedazzled Miu Miu coat. “Ella has such a point of view and a style that you don’t always think about in D.C. because, like … D.C. has the worst style. I lived in this world, so I know; in D.C., you’re mostly rocking Ann Taylor Loft,” Hay told Vogue in January 2021. “It was really fun to make a dress that fit the bill but was still unique.”
Social media went wild over Emhoff’s fashion-forward style. “Would watch a 30-minute prime-time special about Ella Emhoff’s fabulous coat,” one commenter wrote on X. “Here for Ella Emhoff content for the rest of the Harris Vice-Presidency,” another raved. “I’m very excited for four years of Ella Emhoff,” a third declared.
The shoulder embellishments on Ella Emhoff’s coat? ❤️ I smell a style icon in the making. pic.twitter.com/0qXvwkRRLy
— Bennie Edwards Denton (@benniedenton) January 20, 2021
Emhoff’s closet is packed with designer duds. Gucci, Prada, Stella McCartney, and Thom Browne are among the labels she’s rocked, and Emhoff loves to push boundaries with her edgy looks. “If I had to describe my style right now, it’s not even a way of dressing. It’s just wearing clothes that you feel good in, not really being influenced by what other people want you to be wearing,” she told Elle in October 2021. “And also, not getting boxed in by what you used to wear or what people think you would be wearing.”
Ella Emhoff’s jetset career
Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, didn’t just grab the attention of fashion fans with her Batsheva Hay/Mui Mui inauguration ensemble. Industry bigwigs also sat up and took notice, resulting in Emhoff landing a modeling contract with the renowned agency IMG. “It’s not really about shape, size or gender anymore,” IMG’s president Ivan Bart told The New York Times in January 2021. “Ella communicates this moment in time. There’s a cheekiness and a joy she exudes.”
Model Ella Emhoff has become a Balenciaga runway mainstay. This season on #GoodMorningVogue, we follow the model’s journey to Demna Gvasalia’s secret red carpet premiere during #ParisFashionWeek. pic.twitter.com/sN3nXqWYo6
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) November 1, 2021
Emhoff was floored by the unexpected turn her career took. She struggled with self-image growing up and acknowledges that she’s not your stereotypical run-of-the-mill model. “I have body hair, I have tattoos,” she told The Washington Post in December 2023. “Like, that’s not crazy in the scheme of things today, but it’s not what you’d consider, like, the most generic-type model.”
Still, her career immediately took off. Emhoff is in hot demand, jetsetting around the world to appear in fashion shows and gracing the covers of all the top glossy mags. She’s walked the runway for Maisie Wilen, Proenza Schouler and Balenciaga, among other high-end fashion houses. Emhoff has been featured in Cultured magazine, Dust, Pop magazine, and, most prestigious of all, Vogue.
Ella Emhoff’s glittering social life
Ella Emhoff is making the most of her life as a model, style icon, and designer. The second daughter is the toast of the fashion world, and when she’s not walking in runway shows, she has a front seat at all of the hottest parties. Meanwhile, Emhoff’s partner in crime, Sam Hine, is a senior fashion writer for GQ, so the couple is primed to mingle with all the hippest influencers, movers and shakers.
Since her Momala was sworn in as vice president, Emhoff has been assigned a Secret Service detail, but she doesn’t let them cramp her style. They’ve been spotted lurking in the background as she trails around U.S. and European party spots. Living up to her unofficial title of Brooklyn’s new “it girl,” Emhoff is also followed by paparazzi and regularly crops up in the Mail Online and Page Six.
However, she’s tired of the glam life and wants to focus on her passion for knitting and slow fashion. Emhoff has no regrets regarding her dalliance with the jet-setter life, though. “I did that for a few years, and it helped me now to be able to afford the platform and the comfortability to be able to do art, and do this and let it build up,” she told The Telegraph. With that in mind, Emhoff launched the “Soft Hands Knit Club,” where wannabe needleworkers can learn the craft of pearl stitch, french knot, and double woven rib.
Ella Emhoff’s luxury weekend vacays
Every A-lister it girl needs a little time off to enjoy some much-needed R&R. Ella Emhoff is no exception, and she’s able to vacay in incredibly lavish style. Her Instagram documents a weekend trip to the slopes of Saint Moritz in Switzerland. “What a magical experience. such a beautiful show. such beautiful views,” she captioned a carousel of photos in February 2024.
Ella likes to chill on the beach in Florida with her dog Jerry and brother Cole Emhoff. She has also taken to the ocean in Mexico, spent a summer in Greece, hung out in Malibu, and stopped by Buckingham Palace. Oh, and sipped champagne in Saint Tropez. She was snapped, soaking up the rays on the French Riviera with her boyfriend, Sam Hine, in June 2021. Ella was in a teeny, weeny little lime green bikini and a baseball cap as she lounged on the deck of a private yacht moored off the coast. Ella and Hine engaged in some PDAs and snapped selfies to pass the time. It’s a tough life.
Meanwhile, Ella is a divisive figure on social media, with fans and haters seemingly split along political lines. Haters have dubbed her “Very disturbing. Very creepy.” While fans rave, “ella emhoff will soon be princess of america and im so excited.”
