Republican vice presidential nominee Senator JD Vance’s criticism of prominent Democrats as “childless cat ladies” has ignited a wave of outrage among women, who are now turning the age-old sexist stereotype into a rallying cry for this election season.
In a 2021 interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, then-Senate candidate Vance claimed that the U.S. was being led by Democrats, corporate oligarchs, and “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable in their own lives and the choices they’ve made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.”
“It’s a simple fact — look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC — the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children,” Vance continued. “And 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?”
Video of the interview resurfaced on social media last week, alongside an unrelated 2021 tweet in which Vance referred to “weird cat ladies” as an insult.
As former President Donald Trump’s newly minted running mate, Vance was already under scrutiny for his views on various family policies. He has labeled falling U.S. birth rates a “civilizational crisis” and has advocated for higher taxes and fewer voting rights for adults without children.
His “cat lady” remarks — amplified by Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign — sparked widespread backlash.
Critics first challenged the accuracy of Vance’s comments. Harris is a stepmother to two children, who famously call her “Momala.” Their biological mother, Kerstin Emhoff, publicly condemned the “baseless attacks” and praised Harris for being a “loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present” co-parent. Ella Emhoff, one of Harris’ stepchildren, also defended her stepmother on social media, saying, “I love my three parents.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who Vance also mentioned, revealed that he and his husband, Chasten, became parents shortly after that interview. Buttigieg told CNN last week that Vance made those comments “after Chasten and I had been through a fairly heartbreaking setback in our adoption journey.”
“He couldn’t have known that,” Buttigieg added. “But maybe that’s why you shouldn’t be talking about other people’s children.”
Vance doubled down after facing criticism from both sides of the aisle. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor Whoopi Goldberg, and TV personality Meghan McCain were among those who condemned his remarks. Even some conservative figures, such as South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Fox News host Trey Gowdy, expressed their disapproval.
For many, the “cat lady” term felt like an insult to the growing number of women who don’t have children, whether by choice or not. Gun control activist and former Representative Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, tweeted that she and her husband, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, were trying to have a baby through IVF before she was shot, a dream that was stolen from them.
“To suggest we are somehow lesser is disgraceful,” Giffords wrote.
Actress Jennifer Aniston, who has spoken about her own fertility struggles, criticized Vance’s comments on social media, expressing hope that his daughter wouldn’t need to turn to IVF one day. Vance responded on The Megyn Kelly Show on SiriusXM, calling Aniston’s remarks “disgusting” and reiterating his belief that families and babies are a good thing.
Vance defended his remarks on Kelly’s show, stating that his comments were not an attack on people who don’t have children, but rather on the Democratic Party for being “anti-family and anti-child.” However, his comments are likely to alienate single women, who make up a significant portion of the population and a key voting bloc.
Comedian Chelsea Handler, who doesn’t have children, noted in a video response that even the nation’s founding president, George Washington, didn’t have biological kids. She added that “all us childless cat and dog ladies are going to go from childless and crushing it to childless and crushing you in November.”
The “cat lady” stereotype, a trope that has persisted for centuries, continues to influence cultural and political discourse. From ancient Egyptian times to medieval associations with witchcraft and Victorian-era portrayals, the term has evolved but remains a powerful symbol. In the current political climate, it’s being reclaimed as a symbol of defiance and mobilization.
