The Shadiest Rumors About Kamala Harris

When you're a politician, you have to be ready for any and all skeletons that might tumble out of your closet once the media and your adversaries start rummaging. Former Vice President Kamala Harris didn't have all that many stashed away, at least not compared to many of her contemporaries. The Trump campaign had to do something to try and discredit her once she became the Democratic presidential nominee, so Donald Trump did what he does best and questioned whether Harris was actually a U.S. citizen, as well as whether or not she's really a Black woman. 

This shouldn't have come as a surprise, given that the divisive politician questioned Harris' citizenship when she was tapped for VP in 2020 too. Former President Joe Biden endorsing Harris after his 2024 election dropout had Trump doing his best to vilify his opponent once again, asserting that she had only decided to be identified as a Black woman in an effort to win votes. "I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black," Trump rationalized at the 2024 National Association of Black Journalists convention (via ABC News). 

The former "Apprentice" host's claims had absolutely no basis in fact, but Trump wasn't shy about reiterating them during his debate with Harris, when moderators brought it up. She clapped back by saying, "I think it's a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president who has consistently over the course of his career attempted to use race to divide the American people," (via ABC News). This was hardly the only strange rumor about Harris that has made the rounds since she started climbing the political ladder, however. 

By now, everyone knows about Kamala Harris' age-gap fling with Willie Brown, but as the Democratic Party geared up to officially nominate her for the presidential ticket, rumors about Harris' former relationship with Brown ran rampant. The scuttlebutt suggested that she had an affair with the former speaker of the California State Assembly, and that her career as district attorney took off because of him rather than the up-and-comer's own hard work. While Brown wasn't officially divorced when he and Harris dated, he and his wife were estranged at the time. Notably, though, while they were romantically involved, the politician was the one who appointed Harris to the California Medical Assistance Commission, which led to the rumors that he's the reason for her success. 

The future VP later tried to shake Brown off, calling him an "albatross hanging around my neck," during a 2003 interview with SF Weekly, and adding, "I do not owe him a thing." It appears there's no love lost between the two. Apparently, Brown badmouthed Harris at a particularly opportune time — and it was to none other than Donald Trump, or at least, that's what the divisive politician claimed once Harris was nominated for the Democratic presidential ticket. 

Trump recalled he had a scary experience with Brown (the helicopter they were flying in together almost crashed), and that the former San Francisco mayor "told me terrible things about [Harris]," as he detailed during a press conference (via Kron4). Referencing the swirling rumors, Trump reasoned, "I guess he had a big part in what happened with Kamala, but he [...] I don't know, maybe he's changed his tune. But he was not a fan of hers very much at that point."

As wild as it is to imagine nowadays, Kamala Harris and Kimberly Guilfoyle actually used to work together at the San Francisco district attorney's office. But word on the street is that the two women didn't exactly become work besties. In fact, Guilfoyle proclaimed that Harris tried to prevent her from being hired. The former Fox News host first spilled the tea during a 2003 interview with SFGate, dishing, "She called me and said basically that she was on the hiring committee and in charge of the budget for the D.A.'s office, and that I should have gone through her if I wanted to return to the D.A.'s office — and that there was no money to hire me." Guilfoyle was therefore certain Harris "didn't want me there."  The future VP denied that this was how their conversation went down, clarifying that she'd simply called Guilfoyle to offer her some help. 

She ended up getting the job, but clearly still holds a grudge about how everything went down. In 2024, Donald Trump Jr.'s former fiancée dredged up the incident again while speaking to the New York Times. Moreover, Harris' former boss admitted that she wasn't keen on hiring Guilfoyle. Some reckoned that Harris' opposition to the hire was a sign of keen instinct. As her pal Stanlee Gatti argued, "If she ever did do that, she was smart." Guilfoyle, meanwhile, milked the 20-year-old beef between her and Harris for all it was worth during Donald Trump's 2024 campaign too, proudly telling the crowd at a Republican dinner, "I've known [Harris] for 25 years [...] and let me tell you something, do whatever it takes to keep her out of the White House," (via X, formerly known as Twitter). 

As the 2024 presidential election loomed, Donald Trump's then political director, James Blair, took to X to tease, "A lot of rumors out there about Kamala having a serious drinking problem...apparently coming into focus as campaign heats up. Stay Tuned." Blair, who now serves as the White House's Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political and Public Affairs, never backed up his claims with any evidence.

Donald Trump also peddled the claim during one of his rallies in October 2024. He professed that Kamala Harris' interview with "60 Minutes" had been unfairly edited, noting that an entire segment where she fumbled an answer to a question had been removed. "Does she drink?" he questioned (via YouTube). "Is she on drugs? I don't know. I have no idea." The cheering crowd clearly answered in the affirmative.

Some X users decried Harris as a "functioning alcoholic" after a video of her, posted by the Democratic Party's official account, made the rounds at the end of November 2024. Again, there was no proof that the presidential candidate was under the influence during her speech, though she did appear tired and lacking her usual zest.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

While her political adversaries quickly ran out of dirt to dig up on Kamala Harris, her longtime husband, Doug Emhoff, had plenty of skeletons in his own closet, which notably included an affair with his kids' nanny, allegations of assault, and unseemly behavior towards the women who worked with him. Some commentators even speculated that the former VP blames her husband for her election loss and that Harris and Emhoff are headed for divorce as a result.

"Doug did Kamala no favors during the election — frankly, he looked like a hypocritical a** after the bombshells that he had got his child's nanny pregnant while married to his first wife and assaulted his ex-girlfriend on the heels of his 'I am woman' crusade," one source informed the Daily Mail in January 2025. The beloved couple further fueled divorce rumors when they made an appearance at a farmers market in April 2025 and looked far from loved up during the outing. 

Harris was reportedly very friendly with members of the public, beaming for photographs and shaking hands with plenty of admirers, but she didn't appear to have much affection left to spare for her husband, who was left carrying their groceries.