MSNBC host Jen Psaki is being mocked on social media for praising second gentleman Doug Emhoff as someone who “reshaped the perception of masculinity” — despite the recent revelation that he impregnated his child’s nanny during his first marriage.
Psaki, the former White House press secretary under the current Biden administration, interviewed Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, during the most recent installment of “Inside with Jen Psaki,” which aired Sunday afternoon on the Comcast-owned left-leaning cable network.
About halfway through the 15-minute sit-down with the potential first-ever first gentleman, Psaki brought up how “your role has reshaped the perception of masculinity.”
“And I’m not sure you planned on that but you are an incredibly supportive spouse,” Psaki told Emhoff.
“Has that been an evolution for you and do you think that’s part of the role you might play as first gentleman?” Psaki asked the 59-year-old Emhoff, a former Los Angeles-based entertainment lawyer.
The second gentleman replied that he “has started to think a lot about this” and that he has “always been like this.”
“To me, it’s the right thing to do,” Emhoff said of his role as a supportive spouse.
“With Kamala and I, it’s mutual. We support each other. We have each other’s back,” he said, adding: “When we lift up women [and] support women [with] pay equity, child care, family leave … women should not be less than.”
“Women should not have less rights and be treated differently,” Emhoff said. “It’s not the American way.”
Reactions on social media were scathing.
Collin Rugg, a right-leaning commentator on X, blasted MSNBC, sarcastically writing: “We are a serious news network and not propaganda” while asking, “Hey Doug, here is a very difficult question. You completely reshaped masculinity. How does that feel?”
Another commenter on X wrote: “So, Jen Psaki thinks Doug Emhoff has reshaped the perception of masculinity. I can’t stop laughing, fake news media really thinks we are stupid…”
“Is having a baby out of wedlock with the Nanny reshaping masculinity to the Liberals?” another X user wrote.
Before Emhoff married Harris in 2014, he divorced his first wife of 16 years, film producer Kerstin Emhoff, in 2008.
Last month, DailyMail.com reported that Doug Emhoff cheated on then-wife Kerstin Emhoff with Najen Naylor, who was the nanny to the couple’s daughter, Ella Emhoff, who was 10 years old at the time.
Kerstin Emhoff’s discovery of the affair in 2009 eventually led the couple to divorce.
Naylor was pregnant as a result of the affair. A close friend told DailyMail.com that she did not keep the baby.
Doug Emhoff owned up to the affair in a statement to CNN that did not name Naylor or address her alleged pregnancy.
“During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side,” he said.
Kerstin Emhoff expressed support for her former husband after news of the extramarital affair broke early last month.
“Doug and I decided to end our marriage for a variety of reasons, many years ago,” Kerstin Emhoff told the Washington Post in a statement.
“He is a great father to our kids, continues to be a great friend to me and I am really proud of the warm and supportive blended family Doug, Kamala, and I have built together.”
The Post has sought comment from Harris, Doug Emhoff, Kerstin Emhoff, Naylor and MSNBC.
