‘Holy smokes’: Old photo of Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, goes viral

A throwback picture of America’s second gentleman has gone viral on social media – and garnered a NSFW response.

Children of the digital age are accustomed by now to the appeal of a throwback photo.

Parents bemoan it, teenagers delight in it, and in very rare cases – like the one we are gathered here today to discuss involving America’s second gentleman, Doug Emhoff – the entire internet is overcome by a wave of thirst for it (and not the kind that can be quenched with a cool glass of water).

The presidential election may not be until November, but Mr Kamala Harris has won the hearts of social media users everywhere with a resurfaced photograph of himself, aged 20.

Originally shared to X by the father of two in April 2020 with the caption “#MeAt20”, the heavily saturated picture shows a young Mr Emhoff and his shiny swoop of hair smirking at the (presumably film) camera.

#MeAt20pic.twitter.com/tRotGuA732

— Doug Emhoff (@DouglasEmhoff) April 17, 2020

With his unevenly tanned biceps and turquoise, Laguna Beach t-shirt, the now 59-year-old has been compared to everyone from Luke Perry to The OC’s Seth Cohen in the week or so since the image cropped back up on the platform.

“I need Gen Z to see this picture of Kamala’s husband in the 80s and make him TikTok’s white boy of the month,” one post on X with more than 2.2 million views declared.

“Doug Emhoff shouldn’t be texting me long paragraphs if he wants money,” another read.

“He should be sending rare photos of him in the ’80s.”

“Wait THAT’S what Doug looked like back in the day? Okay, Kamala,” a third wrote.

Or, as a fourth put it (keep dreaming babe): “He just handed you a mixtape, shrugged sheepishly, and rode off on his skateboard before you could swoon.”

“Give him an English accent and there would be at least one Taylor Swift album about him,” someone else said.

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff share a smooch. Picture: Erin Schaff/POOL/AFP

Among the other reactions that are PG enough to print here: “Luke Perry vibes!”, “Doug was quite good looking”, and “Holy smokes!!!”

And, not sure how Ms Harris would feel about this absolute corker: “Doug is hot still. I love his personality. I’d do him in a second.”

Such is the power of a throwback photo – which we’ve seen at home with Karl Stefanovic and Josh Frydenberg (no comment) – it’s now moved beyond X, spawning articles with headlines like: “Is Doug Emhoff hot? It may matter more than you think”.

It’s a pretty safe bet that nobody has ever written a story with a title like that about Ms Harris’s Dorito-hued, Republican opponent.

Ms Harris, Mr Emhoff and his children, Cole and Ella. Picture: Instagram

“Who cares who the latest viral heartthrob is? Well, in an election year, kind of everyone. As it turns out, being cool and hot is very electable,” the ensuing article read.

“Maybe it’s the stale but still accurate adage that we like candidates we think we’d like to drink a beer with. Maybe it’s because we associate other good traits with attractive people. Maybe it’s even evolution.

“Whatever the reasons, though, being tall, dark and handsome is a campaign boon — or, in this case, having a husband who is, since the spouse’s likability often accrues to the candidate.”

Suffice to say, Mr Emhoff’s welcome wagon as the internet’s newest boyfriend has well and truly arrived.

Originally published as ‘Holy smokes’: Old photo of Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, goes viral