After briefly dating Kamala Harris over 20 years ago, Montel Williams has no interest in reliving the relationship. The former talk show host addressed the attention surrounding their romance during the July 6 episode of the On Par with Maury Povich podcast, and while he had nothing but nice things to say about Harris, he made it clear that what is in the past is in the past.
© GettyOn the episode, Williams said he was not going to "kiss and tell" or capitalize on a relationship that lasted only a few months in 2001.
"I'm one of those guys who don't kiss and tell," Williams said. "Who she dated 30, 40 years ago doesn't matter." "It was crazy. It was absolutely insane," he said, reflecting on the public's obsession.
© GettyThe 70- year old admitted he was surprised by the interest in their past after Harris launched her 2024 presidential campaign. "I was like, 'Oh my goodness,'" he recalled. "But you know, you can't erase your past. You embrace your past."
While he would rather leave the relationship where it belongs - in the past - Williams didn't hesitate to speak highly of his former girlfriend. "I think that there was a lot of misconception about who she was, who she is," he said.
He went on to call her "one of the smartest people I think I've ever met in my life." "I give her credit for that," he added.
© GettyThe television personality also pushed back on the idea that Harris wasn't qualified to lead the country, saying he had no doubt she would have succeeded under different circumstances. "Could she have done a good job? Without a doubt," Williams said. "But I think circumstances and timing were all bad."
With rumors that Harris might run again in 2028, while Williams thinks she would have done great, it's safe to say he would never bet on her winning.
“Anybody out there who thinks that America is gonna elect a woman in the next four or five years, you are crazy," he told Povich. "I don’t care what woman it is. I’m just gonna say that. And you know, maybe that makes people angry. I could care less if you get angry.”
© GettyWilliams and Harris dated briefly in 2001 when she was serving as a prosecutor in California. Their relationship returned to the spotlight more than two decades later, after old photos of the pair attending the Race to Erase MS gala resurfaced during Harris' presidential campaign.
Earlier this year, while appearing on Sean Hannity's podcast, he explained that revisiting past romances goes against the love he has for his wife. Harris married Doug Emhoff in 2014, while Williams has been married to Tara Fowler since 2007.
© Gabe Ginsberg"I'm married, and I love my wife," Williams said. "I don't reminisce about anybody that came before her. Honestly, she has been my savior."
He added that even thinking back on the relationship with Harris feels unnecessary. "So, to have to stop and make my brain go back and think about that relationship, I almost feel like I'm cheating," he admitted. "So, let's leave it in the past."
