Kamala Harris stopped by The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday to chat about being the vice president and, perhaps more importantly, a step-mother. In the day since the quick interview, Drew Barrymore has gone viral for inching so close to Harris on the production couch and her plethora of questions about becoming “Momala.”
Momala, in case you haven’t heard, is the pet name Harris’ step-children (Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff’s biological kids) call her. It certainly sounds a whole lot nicer than “step-mother,” which sounds like an antagonist in a Disney princess movie, or anything of that sort. Momala has been around since Harris campaigned for vice president with Joe Biden, but following this interview, the title is really having its moment.
“You are a step-mother to Ella and Cole,” Barrymore begins, sounding a little weepy to be chatting with such an influential woman. “I have such an investment in this question, because I too am in a beautiful dynamic.”
“Okay,” Harris nods along. “Uh-huh,” she continues as Barrymore rattles on about her step-children. Kamala Harris, she’s just like us—pretending to listen to people who she really doesn’t want to have to listen to.
“You and Doug dated for a while before you met them,” Barrymore says. “Do you remember that day? What was it like?”
We’re off to an interesting start here. You get to meet and interview America’s first female VP—and your first question is about motherhood? To make matters more uncomfortable, Barrymore starts getting closer and closer to Harris on the couch. Leave her a little personal space! Harris, to her credit, answers with grace, explaining why the term “step-mom” doesn’t work in their family dynamic.
“Disney kind of messed that up for a lot of us,” Harris jokes. “You know, the evil step-parent thing?”
Harris then explains why being a good Momala is so important to her and the kids: “I am a child of divorced parents. [Doug] didn’t fully understand what I understood in terms of my own lived experience, which is, it’s really important, I feel, that children create such attachment.”
At this point in the interview, Barrymore is less than a ruler’s length away from Harris on the couch. Barrymore continues asking questions about being a step-mother while Harris, ever so slightly, leans further back in her seat.
“I keep thinking in my head that we all need a mom,” Barrymore says near the end of the interview. “In our country, we need you to be Momala—of the country.” Whatever that means! As if that’s the most poignant thing she’s ever said, the crowd erupts for Barrymore, who can’t stop talking. The host grabs Harris’ hands. “We need a great protector,” she says.
Social media has had a field day with this interview, blasting Barrymore’s odd behavior to the umpteenth degree. “Every Black person has been in this position,” one X user posted, “stuck with a well-meaning white person who SWORE they was spittin.”
“I’m uncomfortable and now you must be, too,” shared another. A handful of others compared this moment to something that might happen on Veep.
The best thing we all collectively got out of this interview is this priceless shot of Harris reacting to Barrymore. It’s a face that says a lot: “What the hell are you saying?” combined with “You are sitting way too close to me” and “I can’t wait to laugh with my step-kids about this wacky interview.”
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