Television legend Candice Bergen referenced an old feud with a Republican vice president to take a swipe at the latest Republican vice presidential candidate at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards.
Accepting the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, the “Murphy Brown” star linked a 1992 controversy involving Vice President Dan Quayle to more recent comments by Donald Trump’s current Republican running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
“For 11 years, I had the great privilege of starring in a comedy series called ‘Murphy Brown,'” Bergen said during the broadcast. “I was surrounded by brilliant and funny actors, had the best scripts to work with, and in a classic moment, my character was attacked by Vice President Dan Quayle when Murphy became pregnant and decided to raise the baby as a single mother.”
Bergen, 78, then paused for dramatic effect.
“Oh, how far we’ve come,” she joked. “Today, a Republican vice presidential candidate would never attack a woman for having children. So, as they say, my work here is done.”
Then she waited a moment before ending with “Meow.”
What did Candice Bergen’s speech have to do with JD Vance?
Her “meow” line seemed to be referring to Vance’s comments about “childless cat ladies.”
A 2021 interview with Vance went viral after Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic frontrunner in late July when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her. Harris was officially nominated by the party as its presidential candidate in August.
Vance, a father of three, told Tucker Carlson on Fox News in July 2021 that the U.S. was ruled by “childless cat ladies” who “are unhappy with their own lives and the choices they’ve made, and therefore want to make the rest of the country unhappy, too.”
He then named Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying, “The entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.” Harris is a stepmother to two children, while Buttigieg and his husband announced the birth of their twins about a month after Vance’s interview.
The “childless cat lady” comment has become a cultural touchstone. Actress Jennifer Aniston condemned Vance’s statement in July. Pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Harris for president on Sept. 10, captioning her Instagram message “Childless cat lady.” Selena Gomez, who also served as a presenter at the Emmys, mentioned the issue when teasing her “Only Murders in the Building” co-stars.
What happened between Candice Bergen and Dan Quayle?
Bergen’s first encounter with a vice president came in 1992, when the hard-boiled Washington journalist she played on “Murphy Brown” responded to real-life comments made by Quayle on the show.
A storyline in which Brown chose to raise her little boy as a single mother was criticized by Quayle, who said in a speech that the show contributed to the “breakdown of the family structure.”
“Having children irresponsibly is simply wrong. It is wrong not to support the children you have conceived. We must be clear on this,” Quayle said in his speech to the Commonwealth Club of California.
“It doesn’t help when prime-time television shows Murphy Brown – a character who supposedly embodies today’s intelligent, well-paid, working woman – mock the importance of fathers by giving birth to a child alone, calling it just another ‘lifestyle choice,'” he said.
The five-time Emmy winner addressed the speech directly during the season five premiere of Murphy Brown. Her character was shown watching Quayle’s speech on the show and then responding her television show in her role as presenter.
“Perhaps it is time for the vice president to broaden his definition and recognize that families come in all shapes and sizes, whether by choice or circumstance,” Brown said on the show.
“What really defines a family is commitment, care and love,” she continued.
Quayle’s comments came in the midst of George HW Bush’s re-election campaign. Bush was defeated by Bill Clinton in the 1992 election.
