Oprah Fires Up DNC Crowd by Taking Aim at Vance – Years After Helping Vault Him into the Spotlight

Media magnate Oprah Winfrey fired up the crowd during her remarks at Wednesday’s Democratic National Convention by reminding them Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) once claimed the Democratic Party is run by “childless cat ladies.”

Winfrey unsurprisingly did not mention she once pushed Vance’s bestselling autobiography when it was released.

The “ cat ladies ” comment has dogged Vance since he was tapped as the running mate for former President Donald Trump and Winfrey used it to fire up Democrats on the third night of their convention while stumping for Vice President Kamala Harris . In her subtle slight at Vance, Winfrey said:

Despite what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do the best we can to save them and if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try and get that cat out, too. Because we
are a country of people who work hard for the money, we wish our brothers and sisters well and we pray for peace.

Clarence Page with The Chicago Tribune noted in December 2020 that Winfrey boosted Vance’s 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy – helping to raise his profile which eventually catapulted him into the spotlight:

Boosted by Oprah’s Book Club, among other notables, Vance suddenly became a sought-after Trump translator on talk shows in the fashion of “Luther,” President Barack Obama’s fictitious “anger translator” created by the “Key & Peele” comedy team.

Not surprisingly, Hollywood wanted a piece of this action. Popular filmmaker [ Ron Howard ] brought cast and crew to Middletown — including stars Amy Adams as Vance’s drug-addicted mother and Glenn Close, his memorably profane but tough-minded grandma.

Watch above via CNN.