J.D. Vance’s "Childless Cat Ladies" Comment

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Part of a series on J.D. Vance. [View Related Entries]

Dana Fried @tess@mastodon.social It never stops at just trans issues, or LGBTQ+ issues, or even abortion - Russia is now cracking down on people who talk openly about not wanting to have children: nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-... This is the exact same movement and thought process that gives us Vance's "childless cat ladies". And believe me, if the natalist fascists in the US could ban the child-free movement, they absolutely would. NBC News. 1d Russia proposes ban on child-free lifestyle By Yuliya Talmazan Sep 29, 2024, 07:17 PM Tusky

Take note of how you never hear them say "childless men."

Elon Musk @elonmusk Follow Fine Taylor ... you win ... I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life 12:46 AM Sep 11, 2024 X

taylorswift Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven't already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country. Recently I was made aware that Al of 'me' falsely endorsing Donald Trump's presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion. that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth. I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman's right to her own body for decades. I've done my research, and I've made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it's much easier to vote early. I'll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story. With love and hope, Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady : @inezandvinoodh 4 minutes ago

I called you a childless cat lady as an insult!! we now assemble our legions to defeat you

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Overview

J.D. Vance’s "Childless Cat Ladies" Comment, also known as Childless Cat Lady, refers to a quote uttered by American politician J.D. Vance during a Fox News interview in late July 2021 in which he alleged that women who haven’t given birth like Vice President Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives.” After the statement resurfaced in late July 2024 following Vance's selection by Donald Trump to be his VP, American actress Jennifer Aniston criticized Vance's comment via Instagram stories, which sparked a viral debate, fan art and memes under the hashtag "#childlesscatladies" on Twitter / X and TikTok.

Background

On July 29th, 2021, J.D. Vance stated the U.S. is being run by "childless cat ladies," naming Vice President Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during an interview for the Tucker Carlson Tonight show on Fox News.^[1]

The video resurfaced in late July 2024, after Vance was picked by former President Donald Trump as his running mate for the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election.

On July 22nd, 2024, X^[2] user @RonFilipkowski uploaded the clip showing Vance's "childless cat ladies" quote, which quickly went viral and amassed more than 28 million views and 34,000 likes in three days (seen below).

JD Vance says women who haven’t given birth like Kamala Harris are “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives,” and have “no direct stake” in America. pic.twitter.com/3DJY3pQTGe

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 22, 2024

Developments

Jennifer Aniston's Response

On July 24th, 2024, American actress Jennifer Aniston shared @RonFilipkowski's tweet via Instagram stories featuring Vance's "childless cat ladies" quote, writing, "I truly cannot believe this is coming from a potential VP. All I can say is … Mr Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day." The post^[3] (seen below) was widely shared and reported on by media outlets like The Guardian^[4], CNN^[5] and many others in the following days.

jenniferaniston 16 h Ver tradução 老=: I truly can't believe this is coming from a potential VP of The United States. Ron Filipkowski @RonFilipkowski Follow JD Vance says women who haven't given birth like Kamala Harris are "childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives," and have "no direct stake" in America. VARCE 1/FOX NEWS THE LEFT RAMPS UP ITS ATTACK ON JD VANCE JD VANCE (R) | OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE All I can say is... Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day. 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.

Online Reactions

J.D. Vance's controversial "childless cat ladies" quote inspired women to post videos and images featuring their cats under the hashtag "#childlesscatladies" to criticize the politician's comment about women without children. For example, on July 24th, 2024, TikTok^[6] user @thebulanigirl a video alongside her cat, captioning it, "Never been so happy to be a childless cat lady." The post (seen below, left) received roughly 5,000 plays and 750 likes in a day.

On the same day, TikTok^[7] user @andherescecelia uploaded a video holding her cat, captioning it, "Childless cat lady reporting for duty," which amassed over 369,000 plays and 87,000 likes in a day.

@thebulanigirl Childless cat lady here, never been happier #childlessmillennial #childless #catlady #fypシ゚viral #viral #cats ♬ original sound – Blackcats_of_the_summit 🐈‍⬛📚

@andherescecelia just another childless cat lady whos the future of the democratic party reporting for duty #childfreemillennial #coconuttree #blackcatsoftiktok #childfreetiktok #miserablewoman ♬ original sound – Blackcats_of_the_summit 🐈‍⬛📚

On July 24th, 2024, Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife, Kerstin Emhoff, defended Vice President Kamala Harris against sexist criticisms about her lack of biological children, saying “These are baseless attacks. For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I." X^[8] user @katierogers tweeted Emhoff's quote (seen below), amassing more than 122,000 likes and 17,000 likes in two days.