Sad Details About Kamala Harris' Stepdaughter Ella Emhoff's Life

Vice President Kamala Harris' stepdaughter Ella Emhoff has enjoyed a super lavish life, but that doesn't mean things have been perfect by a long shot. While her proximity to Harris helped launch her into the world of modeling and undoubtedly helped persuade the majority of her 435,000 Instagram followers to support her career aspirations, Emhoff's charmed life has been marked by a few sad details related to her personal safety, self-esteem, and mental health. In fact, most of it happened in the time leading up to and shortly after her 25th birthday (which took place in May 2024).

Indeed, Emhoff has weathered a few storms. One of the more disturbing events took place in July 2024 when a rowdy man found himself in jail because of his unlawful actions towards her secret service agents. Fortunately, it doesn't appear as if the man, described as an "anti-police watcher," was actually targeting Emhoff, who was dining in a nearby eatery, according to the NY Post. "On Tuesday afternoon, an individual approached two United States Secret Service vehicles parked in lower Manhattan and, without provocation, caused damage to the rear license plate area of both," said a spokesperson.

Still, that's just one example of the intense (and a bit frightening) encounters her fame has brought her. 

Ella Emhoff has gotten the chance to explore some pretty cool career paths, such as modeling and her other personal creative efforts (including her knitwear collection, which she features on her personal website). However, not everyone has been supportive of her newfound platform, especially in relation to her modeling career. "Hey guys, if you Google Ella Emhoff, her occupation comes up as a model and fashion designer," tweeted one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with a rather unflattering photo of Emhoff. Unfortunately, this is one of possibly thousands of posts on the website inviting people to tear apart her looks or otherwise criticize her existence — many of which originate from her stepmom's detractors.

While Emhoff has not directly addressed many of the rude comments trolls have sent her way, she has revealed that she's struggled with her mental health. In December 2022, Emhoff quoted Charles Dickens on Instagram when reflecting on the year she described as being simultaneously "the best of times" and "the worst of times." After revealing that the year taught her how to seek help amid her struggles, she thanked the people who supported her as she navigated "this crazy public and weird world that I exist in." Referring to her boyfriend, Sam Hine, she added, "Mostly I wanna say thank you to sam who has stood by me during one of the more challenging periods in the saga that is my mental health journey."

Ella Emhoff's struggle to adjust to fame isn't the only serious hurdle she's faced. As a child, Emhoff had back surgery and she still deals with bouts of pain in adulthood. "Behind every piece is a pain management device hard at work," Emhoff posted to her Instagram Stories in August 2024 (via Newsweek). "I have bad chronic back pain and have for most of my life. My chronic pain people, what are we using to feel comf [sic]?" Emhoff also revealed the diagnosis that prompted her surgery, which is also the source of her pain. "Just for context, I was born with a tethered spine (iykyk) which caused my back to not properly lengthen when I was growing and caused a kyphosis (hunchback)."

The model has also opened up about her journey navigating insomnia, a sleep disorder which may not sound nearly as serious, but could still be disruptive to her quality of life. In January 2024, she took to Instagram and let her followers in on her progress. "This is your reminder to prioritize sleep this year," she wrote alongside selfies of her and her dog, Jerry. "I did this past year and it's truly changed my life. I didn't realize how much my insomnia was hurting my day to day until I started getting normal amounts of sleep. I went the route of meds but lemme tell you there's a million ways to calm the mind for sleep if that's not right for you." Getting adequate sleep also helped her to become a "less grumpy girl."