Montel Williams shared his thoughts on why his ex, former Vice President Kamala Harris, didn’t win the presidency.
Appearing on the latest episode of On Par With Maury Povich, Williams said there were too many “misconceptions” surrounding Harris.
“I didn’t think it was gonna work out,” Williams shared. “ And I think the lateness of the campaign was what really, really, really hurt her.”
“I think that there was a lot of misconception about who she was,” Williams continued. “And who she is… one of the smartest people I think I’ve ever met in my life, and I give her credit for that.”
According to Williams, Harris would have “done a good job, without a doubt. “But I think the circumstances and timing were all bad.”
Williams also didn’t think a woman would be elected as president.
Williams didn’t offer much faith in a woman being elected president of the United States in 2028 — or anytime soon.
“People can get as mad at me as you want,” he told Povich. “Anybody out there who thinks that America is gonna elect a woman in the next four or five years, you are crazy. I don’t care what woman it is. And I’m just gonna say that, and you know, maybe that makes people angry. I couldn’t care less if you get angry.”
WILLIAMS AND HARRIS BRIEF RELATIONSHIP
Williams and Harris dated in 2001 when both were single. At the time, Harris was an upcoming attorney working for the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. Williams was at the height of his daytime television fame as host of “The Montell Williams Show.” The pair made a high-profile public appearance together in May 2001, walking the red carpet alongside Williams’ daughter, Ashley, at the Eighth Annual Race to Erase MS Gala in Los Angeles.
In her memoir about her 2024 presidential run, 107 Days, Harris did not close the door on running in the 2028 election.
“I am not done,” Harris said in an interview with the BBC in October 2025. “I have lived my entire career as a life of service, and it’s in my bones.”