Icon and former TV host Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance on the third day of the Democratic National Convention, and in her speech she gave a special shout-out to one particular group of women.

On Wednesday, August 21, on stage at the United Center in Chicago, Winfrey spoke passionately, touching on everything from pervasive racism and sexism to reproductive justice and abortion access.

“I have actually traveled this country from the redwood forests to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. I have seen racism, sexism, income inequality, and division. I have not only seen it. Not only have I seen it, but at times I have been on the receiving end of it. But what I have witnessed and experienced are people, both conservative and liberal, who may not agree with each other, but who are still ready to help you if you are in trouble.”

“They are the people who make me proud to be an American,” she continued. 'They are the best of America. And contrary to what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors.”

But it was her rallying cry to “childless cat ladies” that set the Internet ablaze.

“When a house is burning, we don't ask about the race or religion of the homeowner. We don't even ask who their partners are or how they voted. So! We just do our best to help them,” she said. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady... We try to rescue that cat too."

Winfrey made her remarks in direct response to comments by Senator J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate.

“What I was basically trying to say is that through the Democrats and corporate oligarchs, this country is effectively being run by childless catgirls. And they want to make the rest of the country miserable too.”

The vice presidential candidate then doubled down on his comments, telling former Fox News host Megyn Kelly in a recent interview that the comment was “obviously sarcastic” because “I have nothing against cats.”

Vance further called childless women “psychotic,” people who are “sad, lonely, and pathetic,” people who “should feel inadequate in their lives,” and people who “should pay higher taxes just because they are not parents.” The senator also professed that “the goal of postmenopausal women is to raise grandchildren.”

Winfrey is not the only Hollywood heavyweight to respond to Vance's comments: shortly after the 2021 Fox News interview went viral, actress Jennifer Aniston responded via her Instagram Stories, saying that such sentiments “come from the U.S. s vice presidential nominee” and expressed disbelief that such sentiments ”came from a candidate for vice president of the United States.

“All I can say is.... Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter will one day be fortunate enough to have a child of her own. I hope she does not have to resort to IVF as a second option. You are trying to take that away from her as well.”

Also, not to evoke Vance's rhetoric, country music star Miranda Lambert also recently interrupted a conversation of “childless women” to talk about how her decision to forgo motherhood is helping her to better mentor the next generation of singers and artists She spoke about how it has helped her.

“I don't have children of my own, so I want to use what I've learned to help the younger generation, especially the artists.

“No one is going to sit there and give you a handbook that says, ‘Well, this is what happens when you reach this level.’”