Talk show host Montel Williams gave a somewhat unclear endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris — despite briefly dating her over two decades ago.
Williams, 68, initially voiced his support for Wes Moore to lead the Democratic presidential ticket after Joe Biden stepped down Sunday, saying he’d be “ready to campaign” if the Maryland governor was on the ballot.
“I’ve watched @GovWesMoore lead my home state of Maryland, and I know leadership when I see it,” Williams wrote in a post on X Monday morning.
After receiving an apparent deluge of reactions from the post Williams appeared to clarify his comments, hours later retweeting a post from Gov. Moore endorsing Harris.
“Reminding folks I RT’d this,” Williams said in a follow up post.
The pair dated briefly around 2001, and were photographed walking the red carpet together at a multiple sclerosis benefit gala in California that year.
Harris was working as an attorney when she and Williams dated, and little is known about their relationship.
Williams seemed to anticipate the attention he was going to receive after Biden withdrew and endorsed Harris — asking his followers to guess “how many creepy media requests” he was going to receive after the news.
A representative for him even went on the defensive, promising to repost every media inquiry they receive asking “creepy, misogynistic” questions for comment about Williams’ relationship with Harris.
Williams — a Maryland native who made history as the first black Marine to be accepted into the U.S. Navy’s officer training program — further hit back at criticisms of his endorsement for Gov. Moore over Harris by saying it was no surprise he was impressed by a fellow veteran.
“Is anyone surprised I am interested in a politician who also went to the Naval Academy and whose leadership has impressed me?” Williams wrote.