Emhoff has two children from his previous relationship with his ex-wife Kerstin Emhoff: daughter Ella and son Cole. Harris wrote in an essay for Elle that the two are named for the musicians Ella Fitzgerald and John Coltrane. She officially became their stepmom in 2015 when she and Emhoff were married, and they both call her "Momala" because they all "agreed that we didn’t like the term 'stepmom,'” she wrote. The politician explained that when she and Emhoff first met, they decided to take some time before she met the kids, but when she finally did, she brought along a tin of cookies that were tied neatly with a bow.
