Glenn Close may have starred as J.D. Vance’s beloved grandmother in the 2020 big screen adaptation of his best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, but the actress is clearly not a fan of the Republican vice presidential nominee.
Close has been busy throwing shade at the Ohio senator on social media recently. And on Tuesday’s show, Megyn was joined by Bethany Mandel and Karol Markowicz, authors of Stolen Youth, to discuss Close’s posts and why it is distasteful given her history with Vance.
The Posts
Close was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for her turn as Vance’s “Mamaw” in Hillbilly Elegy, but she is seemingly trying to make it clear that she will not be supporting him come November.
Last weekend, the 77 year old posted a meme on Instagram taking aim at Vance’s “childless cat ladies” remark and abortion laws. “Sorry Sally, This is Texas, you’ll have to keep your daddy’s baby,” the graphic reads. “We sure wouldn’t want you to end up childless with cats!”
On Sunday, she was back on Instagram to shade the “childless cat ladies” comment with her own feline companion, Eve. “Eve would have left a bleeding mouse head in the bed of anyone who criticized any kind of lady with a CAT,” she captioned the selfie.
The media has been eating up Close’s digs, with Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, Deadline, and New York Magazine being just a few of the publications to fawn over the posts. The headlines ranged from “Glenn Close and Her Cat Bite Back at J.D. Vance” to “Glenn Close Mocks JD Vance With Cat On Instagram.”
Too Close for Comfort?
Megyn called the actress’ posts “gross” and disrespectful. “To me, this is just so gross,” she said. “You got all those award [nominations] because he told his family story and you played someone who is so important to him. And, by the way, the whole point of his stories about her were to show you the importance of the most powerful female in his life… but you can’t see through that. You’ve got to essentially attack him as being a misogynist because of the cat comment. It’s absurd.”
But Markowicz said Close likely felt compelled to weigh in because of her affiliation with the film. “The Glenn Closes of the world have to tell their team that they’re still part of the squad. [She’s saying], ‘I know I did the movie where I played Mamaw, and I know that makes me possibly aligned with J.D. Vance somehow, but I wanted you to know that I would never, and here’s my cat, and I will speak out against this,'” she explained. “I think that is how Hollywood polices each other.”
In Mandel’s view, situations like this only energize Trump-Vance supporters. “All of this stuff is what makes people want to vote for Trump because this elitist, clear the bow, bullsh-t that they do makes me hate them and makes me want to see them lose,” she said. “So, this is the stuff that radicalizes me but in the other direction.”
Regardless, Megyn said Close should have kept quiet. “Have the class to say, ‘I’m going to sit this one out.’ Of course, she is voting Democrat. Nobody thought otherwise,” she concluded. “Not every fight requires you to participate, but… in Hollywood… she is probably getting some incoming… so she’s got a telegraph.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Mandel and Markowicz by tuning in to episode 860 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.