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You know election season is around the corner when a politician's old controversial statements start to resurface. In one such recent case, Republican Vice President nominee JD Vance has landed in trouble after a sexist remark he made about childless women in 2021 has been doing the rounds on social media. Voters and prominent celebrities have hit out at the Ohio Senator for an interview where he said the country is being run by "a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable in their own lives... and want to make the country miserable too."
Vance, who is a father of three, has been banking on a 'family first' image throughout his political career. "How does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?" he is heard saying in the controversial interview.
Reactions Over The Remark
Vance's interview in 2021 with Fox News journalist Tucker Carlson has recently been going viral since he was announced to be the running mate for Donald Trump in the US Presidential election. He can be heard criticising several women and LGBTQ+ Democratic politicians including incumbent VP Kamala Harris.
Vance also took a dig at New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for being childless. According to reports, Buttigieg and husband adopted twins soon after the interview aired in 2021. As the video has now been circulating online, many voters have criticised the Republican politician.
Voters Hit Back
Kamal Harris' stepdaughter Ella Emhoff had a witty response to Vance's 'baseless attacks'. “How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cutie pie kids like Cole and I?" the 25-year-old supermodel said on her Instagram story. Ella and Cole Emhoff are the children of Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff and Kerstin Emhoff. Ella further added, "I love my three parents!"
Hollywood actor Jennifer Aniston also took to her Instagram stories to hit back at the tasteless comment made by the Republican Party's Vice Presidential Nominee. "I truly cannot believe this is coming from a potential VP," she wrote. Aniston has been vocal about her struggles with fertility and her IVF journey.
The FRIENDS-famed actor continued, "All I can say is … Mr Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day. And I hope she will not need to turn to IVF as a second option. Because you are trying to take that away from her, too.”
Actor Whoopi Goldberg spoke up too. The 68-year-old retorted, "How dare you?" as she described the diverse experiences of childless women-- some who chose to not have children and some who struggled to conceive.
Here are more reactions:
I’m fine with the childless cat lady trope because its so laughable, but saying I should be disenfranchised as a consequence of not having kids… well he can just fuck off https://t.co/o2uMl7K0HE
— Lindsay Bacher (@lindsayinMPLS) July 25, 2024
"Childless cat lady" is a badge of honor, worn proudly by said childless cat ladies. Why do they still use this as an insult? If you've never been to the cat colony, don't come to the cat colony, cuz you wouldn't understand the cat colony, so stay the fuck out the cat colony. pic.twitter.com/DRBc0zCeF2
— NellENel (@NellENel) July 22, 2024
I am a childless cat dude, and I tip my hat to childless cat people everywhere.
— Troy Wilson 📘 (@TroyStoryToo) July 25, 2024
(I had cats as a kid. Now I just write about cats - for kids.)
I am pro-family (in all of its forms) and anti-idiocy (in its willful form). pic.twitter.com/DF7fYkEWKQ
Hooooo-boiiii. Vance attacked childless women who love cats. Taylor Swift would probably like a word.
— Dr. StephanieB (@sboumedi) July 23, 2024
Release the kraken (meowww). pic.twitter.com/JPWhV6V1g2
Swifties Against Vance
Taylor Swift fans, who have been campaigning for Kamala Harris's presidential bid, condemned Vance's views. While the musician herself has not commented on the matter, the Swifties have been defending their idol's and many other women's choice to be childless. "When it hits you that Taylor Swift is childless and has cats…” one fan posted on X. “JD Vance really effed this one up. The armageddon is coming for him.”
GOOD morning ☀️ to this "childless cat lady."
— Lisa Catara 💎 (@lisa_catara) July 24, 2024
Meow Meow ✌🏽
(Time magazine. Dec 2023)@taylorswift13 #taylorswift pic.twitter.com/vwAEwazEnm
Going after women who have cats and don’t yet have children is bold considering Taylor Swift is probably the most influential person in the world with millions of white women as fans, is a loud and proud childless cat lady. https://t.co/Xlmxm06n4N
— Laura Lohn (@LauraDashLohn) July 23, 2024
— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) July 25, 2024
Taylor Swift, a proud cat mama, was recently called a "bad role model" by a popular publication for choosing to be unmarried and childless in her 30s. JD Vance's comment has opened a broader discussion on reproductive rights and women's healthcare, which have been a focal point of American politics especially since several States repealed almost all abortion rights in late 2022.