Aniston, Goldberg call out US Senator’s comments

A host of women including actor Jennifer Aniston and Whoopi Goldberg have denounced US Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance’s comments that women without offspring were less fit to govern.

In a 2021 clip, Vance singled out Kamala Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, among others as he told Fox News that those who hadn’t procreated, particularly “childless cat ladies,” were “miserable” and had no “direct stake” in the country. The comments have sparked a storm of scorn and accusations that the father of three represents an out-of-touch, sexist Republican mindset that has no place in the modern era.

On Instagram stories, an outraged Jennifer Aniston pointed to her own infertility, which the actor has been vocal about in the past. She wrote, “I truly can’t believe that this is coming from a potential VP of the United States. 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,” Aniston added. “Because you are trying to take that away from her, too.”

Comedian and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg asked “Now, what the hell?” Meghan McCain, daughter of late Republican senator John McCain, warned that Vance’s comments “are activating women across all sides, including my most conservative Trump supporting friends.”

If Harris, who has two stepchildren, beats Republican former president Donald Trump in November elections, she not only becomes the first woman president, but also the first woman of Black and Asian heritage, which has opened her up to a number of attacks along demographic lines. While multiple Republicans have flagged her lack of biological children as an issue, her online “KHive” of fans has been running defence — via memes, indignation and supportive posts including from celebrities, politicians and members of her own family.

Harris has two stepchildren, Cole and Ella, through her husband Doug Emhoff and his first wife. Their mother, Kerstin Emhoff, said in a statement to CNN that the attacks on Harris were baseless. “For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I,” she said. “I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.” Ella, age 25, who refers to Harris as “Momala,” meanwhile wrote on Instagram that “I love my three parents. How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cutie pie kids like Cole and I.”