Tracee Ellis Ross Just Delivered An Empowering Message On Valuing Childless Women
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Lately, childless women everywhere have been catching strays for their circumstances.
That's thanks to Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, who, in a resurfaced speech from 2021, faulted the "childless left" for America's problems.
He further took aim at childfree people in an interview with Tucker Carlson, saying they're "a bunch of 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."
"It's just a basic fact," he added. "You look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC — the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. And how does it make any sense that we've turned our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it?"
Sadly, Republicans have only continued their attacks against Harris, who doesn't have biological kids but is affectionately referred to as "Momala" by her stepchildren, Ella and Cole Emhoff. Most recently, former Trump aide Sarah Huckabee Sanders criticized Harris for not having kids, seemingly suggesting she needs them to keep her "humble."
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Well, Tracee Ellis Ross, who famously doesn't have kids either, just spoke out with a message emphasizing the value of women beyond motherhood.
It's a topic she's discussed extensively before. In 2017, she reflected on her "incredible" and accomplished life and how people will still tell her she should have kids to give it "meaning."
"I have built an incredible life. I have become a woman that I am proud to be. And then someone tells me about their friend who adopted a child at 52 and how 'it's never too late for your life to have meaning,' and my worth gets diminished as I am reminded that I have 'failed' on the marriage and carriage counts," the 51-year-old shared on stage at a Glamour event that year, calling the comments "never-ending" and "not helpful."
Although it's been frustrating, Tracee said she has accepted her situation. "The heartbreak does come up, and I get to hold that gently and lovingly and then remind myself, 'I woke up every morning of my life and I've tried to do my best, so I must be where I'm supposed to be,'" she said on We Can Do Hard Things last year.
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Tracee's latest comments came last week at Harris' Unite for America rally, where the VP sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The rally featured several celebrity appearances, including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lopez, and Julia Roberts.
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She began by thanking the two "for what you represent" as two kid-free people.
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"Because as a [51-year-old] childless woman, I wanna say to the people who think a woman's worth is measured in her baby count — I mean, shoutout to all the amazing mothers — but childless women have been mothering the world and elevating the world as aunties, godmothers, teachers, mentors, sisters, and friends," she said. "The list goes on."
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"You do not have to push out a baby to help push humanity forward," Tracee argued, earning applause from the audience. "Amen to that," Oprah added.
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The footage quickly went viral online, receiving over 200,000 likes on Oprah Daily's Instagram post and plenty of praise for Tracee in the comments.
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"As a childless 51 year old, I completely agree!!!!" wrote one user.
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"This made me cry," a second user said, calling Tracee's comments spot-on. "I had someone say to me once, 'You wouldn't understand cuz you don't have any children. It's different when you have children.' And I said not really. I have a niece, I have a large family with lots of cousins and they've all had babies and I want what's best for all the children on this planet. I'm close to my family's babies and they're important to me. Their future is important to me."
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"They shame you for being childless, they shame you for being too fruitful," another noted, adding that we'll "never win."
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Meanwhile, someone else called out the "double standard" with this entire conversation.
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You can view more responses to Tracee's comments below.
Or, watch the clip here around the 1:05:40 mark.
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