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What’s the deal with these modern-day close talkers?
As has no doubt been brought to your attention by now, perhaps against your will, Vice President Kamala Harris, fresh off being filmed unknowingly clapping along to a song criticizing her Puerto Rico visit, was a guest on Drew Barrymore's daytime talk show this week. Expectedly, a clip from the resulting interview has been making the rounds, with a focus on Barrymore urging the VP to be "Momala" to the country.
"That’s a great segue to say that I keep thinking in my head that we all need a mom," Barrymore, in her characteristically close-to-the-guest style, said. "I’ve been thinking that we really all need a tremendous hug in the world right now. But in our country, we need you to be Momala of the country."
Barrymore went on to propose Harris as "a great protector" for the country. As for the "segue" in question, Barrymore’s remarks were preceded with some comments from the VP about the importance of building a relationship of "respect" with the mother of her husband’s children. Per Harris, she was "very clear with the kids" that she is "not here to replace" their mother.
"You have that one mother and I’m the second mother," Harris, who married Doug Emhoff in 2014, said. Around this point, Barrymore interjected with the "Momala" distinction, to which Harris said, "Right, Momala."
To be clear, the whole "Momala" thing is not new; in fact, it’s a family nickname given to Harris by her stepchildren. In a 2019 essay for Elle, Harris provided some insight into the nickname.
"We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost a little too functional," Harris said at the time of her friendship with Emhoff’s ex-wife, Kerstin Mackin. "A few years later when Doug and I got married, Cole, Ella, and I agreed that we didn’t like the term 'stepmom.' Instead they came up with the name 'Momala.'"
The gleeful dunking on Drew Barrymore over her use of "Momala" is best paired with a reminder that her daytime talk show became the subject of impassioned criticism last year after it attempted to resume production despite the then-active Writers Guild of America strike. Barrymore ultimately reversed this decision and issued an apology. In October, it was reported that the show's three head co-writers had turned down the chance to return to the show following the controversy.
Like the "Momala" moment, the latest headlines-generating clip from the show absolutely reeks of out-of-touchness, and in an election year no less. But don't take our word for it. Below, get a look at how people have been reacting to the interview.
