Candice Bergen opened her appearance at the Emmys to introduce the comedy actress category by comparing JD Vance’s attack on “childless cat ladies” to then-Vice President Dan Quayle’s campaign with Murphy Brown.

Bergen began by saying: “For 11 years I had the great privilege of starring in a comedy series called Murphy Brown. I was surrounded by brilliant and funny actors. I had the best scripts to work with. And in a 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.

More from Deadline

“Oh, how far we have come,” she said with a serious expression.

Bergen added: “Today, a Republican vice presidential candidate would never attack a woman for having children. So, as they say, my work here is done. Meow.”

In a 1992 speech, Quayle said it was “not helpful when prime-time television shows Murphy Brown, a character who supposedly embodies today’s intelligent, well-paid professional woman, mock the importance of fathers by giving birth to a child alone and describing it as just another lifestyle choice.”

Quayle’s comments became a topic of discussion in the election year and were also the subject of this year’s Emmys. Bergen won the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy and thanked the vice president while poking fun at his misspelling of the word “potato.”

Brown’s mockery of Vance was just a reference to the Republican vice presidential candidate’s comment about a “childless cat lady.” Selena Gomez made a joke earlier on the show. One of the winners, Liza Colón-Zayas of The bearsaid: “To all the Latinas watching me: stay tuned and vote. Vote for your rights.”

Vance made the comment about “childless cat ladies” during a 2021 appearance on Fox News. Tucker Carlson tonight. The clip resurfaced after he was named vice presidential nominee, and he defended the remark, saying he was criticizing Democrats and claiming they were “anti-family.”

The best of Deadline

Subscribe to the Deadline newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.