Who are Cole and Ella Emhoff? Harris' stepchildren in the national spotlight after Vance’s 'childless' comments

Behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ persona as “Momala” are her two stepchildren: Cole and Ella Emhoff. With Harris’ presidential campaign now in full swing, they too are stepping into the limelight.

Ella Emhoff, 25, spoke out earlier this week after comments resurfaced from GOP vice presidential pick JD Vance, who in 2021 said Harris and other Democrats are “childless cat ladies” who “want to make the rest of the country miserable too.”

In an Instagram story posted Thursday, Ella Emhoff pushed back on this.

“How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cutie pie kids like Cole and I?” she said. “I love my three parents.”

The youngest members of the second family, Cole, 29, and Ella, 25, are the children of second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who was previously married to film producer Kerstin Emhoff, who herself called Vance’s comments “baseless.”

“For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I,” she said in a statement to NBC News. “She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.”

Vance spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk told NBC News that those on the left have taken Vance’s words out of context “and spun up a false narrative about his position on the issues.”

Since the pandemic and President Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential run, Ella Emhoff has become a social media phenomenon.

Dubbed by some as the “First Daughter of Bushwick,” the New York City resident is a graduate of Parsons School of Design and in 2021 was signed as a model to renowned agency IMG Models. She also made a cameo in Bo Burham’s 2013 music video “Repeat Stuff.”

Gen Z Americans have connected with her androgynous fashion sense and quirky