Candice Bergen Sneaks In A Cutting Dig At J.D. Vance On The Emmys Stage: “Meow”

When Candice Bergen took the stage at this evening’s Emmy Awards, she snuck in a pointed dig at vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance. The actress, who was presenting the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series award, introduced the category by recalling her own time starring in the comedy Murphy Brown as the titular character.

“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,” she said, referring to the 1992 speech then-VP Quayle gave in which he criticized Bergen’s character for choosing to have a child at her age and outside of marriage.

Bergen continued, “Oh, how far we’ve come. Today a Republican candidate for vice president would never attack a woman for having kids, so as they say, my work here is done,” before adding, “Meow,” a likely reference to Vance’s “childless cat ladies” line, which has landed him in hot water for weeks now.

Bergen’s words were a hit with the audience, who laughed and cheered at her words, including Jon Stewart, who was seen bending forward in laughter in his seat.

And of course, her comment stirred up plenty of reaction amongst viewers at home. One X user tweeted, “Candace [sic] Bergen has not lost that comedic timing #Emmys,” while another wrote, “I hate awards shows but inject that Candace [sic] Bergen “meow” into my blood.”

"In one classic moment, my character was attacked by VP Dan Quayle when Murphy was pregnant & he decided to attack my character for being a single mother. Today a candidate would never attack a single mother so as they say, my work here is done. Meow." THEE Candice Bergen #Emmys

— Karen DaltonBeninato (@kbeninato) September 16, 2024

Candice Bergen, who famously drew the ire of then-Vice President Dan Quayle when Murphy Brown raised a child as a single mother, reflects on how much has (not) changed since then in one of the #Emmys best moments. pic.twitter.com/4Gn5DbXAop

— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) September 16, 2024

Meanwhile, NRP TV critic Eric Deggans declared Bergen’s line “the best” so far of the night, writing, “Candice Bergen strides onstage at #Emmys to deliver the best line of the night so far, referencing how Dan Quayle attacked her Murphy Brown for being a single mom: ‘Today, a Republican candidate for president would never attack a woman for having kids. So, as they say, my work is done…'”

The 2024 Emmys are airing live on ABC. Check out our constantly updating list of 2024 Emmys winners to see who’s nabbing awards this evening.