Candice Bergen’s Emmys political jab and its connection to 'childless cat ladies,' explained

Television legend Candice Bergen referenced an old dust-up with a Republican vice president to land a jab at the latest Republican candidate for vice president at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards.

While presenting the award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, the "Murphy Brown" star connected a 1992 controversy involving Vice President Dan Quayle to more recent comments made by Donald Trump's current Republican running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

“For 11 years, I had the tremendous privilege of playing the lead 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 one 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 candidate for vice president would never attack a woman for having kids. So as they say, my work here is done."

She then waited a beat before ending with, "Meow."

What did Candice Bergen's speech have to do with JD Vance?

Her "meow" line appeared to reference Vance's comments about "childless cat ladies."

An 2021 interview with Vance went viral after Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic front-runner in late July when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her. Harris officially received the party's presidential nomination in August.

Vance, who is a father of three, told Tucker Carlson on Fox News in July 2021 that the U.S. is being run by “childless cat ladies” who “are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too."

He then named Harris, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying "the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children." Harris is a stepmother of two children, while Buttigieg and his husband announced they had welcomed twins about a month after Vance's interview.

The "childless cat lady" comment has become a cultural touchstone. Actor Jennifer Aniston condemned Vance's "childless cat ladies" line in July. Pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Harris for president on Sept. 10 and signed her Instagram message, "Childless Cat Lady." Selena Gomez, also presenting at the Emmys, mentioned the topic while ribbing her "Only Murders in the Building" co-stars.

What happened between Candice Bergen and Dan Quayle?

Bergen's previous encounter with a vice president came in 1992 when the hard-nosed Washington journalist she played on "Murphy Brown" responded on the show to real-life comments made by Quayle.

A storyline that depicted Brown opting to raise her baby boy as a single mother was rebuked by Quayle, who said in a speech that the show contributed to the "breakdown of family structure.”

"Bearing babies irresponsibly is, simply, wrong. Failing to support children one has fathered is wrong. We must be unequivocal about this," Quayle said in the speech given at the Commonwealth Club of California.

"It doesn’t help matters when prime time TV has Murphy Brown — a character who supposedly epitomizes today’s intelligent, highly paid, professional woman — mocking the importance of fathers, by bearing a child alone, and calling it just another 'lifestyle choice,'" he said.

The five-time Emmy winner addressed the speech head-on during the premiere of Season 5 of "Murphy Brown." Her character was shown watching Quayle's speech on the show, then responding on her TV show in her capacity as an anchor.

"Perhaps it’s time for the vice president to expand his definition and recognize that, whether by choice or circumstance, families come in all shapes and sizes," Brown said on the show.

"What really defines a family is commitment, caring and love," she continued.

Quayle's remarks came in the midst of George H.W. Bush's reelection campaign for president. Bush was defeated by Bill Clinton in the 1992 election.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com