Actor Jennifer Aniston, who has been open about her fertility struggles, slammed Sen. JD Vance over a resurfaced 2021 interview in which he said the United States was being run by âa bunch of childless cat ladies.â
âI truly canât believe this is coming from a potential VP of The United States,â Aniston wrote Wednesday in an Instagram story, including a clip of Vanceâs comments.
The interview gained fresh traction this week after it was posted on X, days after former President Donald Trump announced that the Republican senator from Ohio would be his vice presidential running mate.
During a 2021 appearance on Tucker Carlsonâs former Fox News show, Vance said that the country was being led âby a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that theyâve made.â
âSo they want to make the rest of the country miserable too,â Vance continued. âAnd itâs just a basic fact. If you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. And how does it make any sense that weâve turned our country over to people who donât really have a direct stake in it?â
Harris, who has two stepchildren, is now running for president after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, has adopted twins.
Vance went on to say in the clip that he believes people âwho go home at night and see the face of a smiling kid, whatever their profession, I think theyâre happier, I think theyâre healthier, and theyâre going to be better prepared to actually lead this country.â
Aniston also called out Vance over his far-right stance on reproductive rights.
âAll I can say is⊠Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day,â Aniston wrote. âI hope she will not need to turn to IVF as a second option. Because you are trying to take that away from her, too.â
The actor told Allure in 2022 that she tried to get pregnant for many years but âit was a challenging roadâ for her.
âI was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it,â she said. âI was throwing everything at it. I wouldâve given anything if someone had said to me, âFreeze your eggs. Do yourself a favor.â You just donât think it. So here I am today. The ship has sailed.â
Aniston, 55, said the constant media scrutiny and false claims that she didnât want children because she was âselfishâ were hurtful.
Harrisâ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, on Thursday also pushed back against Vanceâs comments in the 2021 interview.
âHow can you be âchildlessâ when you have cutie pie kids like Cole and I,â Emhoff wrote Thursday morning on Instagram, referring to her brother and Harrisâ other stepchild, Cole Emhoff.
Emhoff also praised a statement by her biological mother, second gentleman Doug Emhoffâs ex-wife, Kerstin Emhoff, who defended Harris against âbaseless attacksâ and praised her for being a âloving, nurturing, fiercely protectiveâ stepmother to her children for more than 10 years.
While Aniston did not officially back Harris, many in Hollywood have begun publicly broadcasting their enthusiasm for her campaign.
Josh Gad, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Barbra Streisand and Kerry Washington were among the flood of actors to voice their support. A handful of artists, including Lil Nas X and John Legend, also shared posts on social media backing Harris.
And Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who was among the first Democratic donors to publicly urge Biden to step aside, donated $7 million to a super PAC supporting Harrisâ run, The Information reported.