Candice Bergen makes fun of JD Vance in her speech at the 2024 Emmys: “Meow”

For Candice Bergen, the 2024 Emmys will mark the end of her career.

Onstage at the 76th annual awards ceremony, Bergen delivered a speech before introducing the nominees for the award for lead actress in a comedy series. The actress took a moment to poke fun at the parallels between her acting career and the current political climate, referencing her popular 1980s sitcom Murphy, Brown.

“For 11 years I had the great privilege of playing the lead role in a comedy series called Murphy Brown,” said Bergen, 78. “I was surrounded by brilliant and funny actors, had the best scripts to work with, and in a classic moment, my character was attacked by Vice President Dan Quayle when Murphy became pregnant and decided to raise the baby as a single mother.”

“Oh, how far we've come,” Bergen, who has a daughter, said sarcastically. “Today, a Republican vice presidential candidate would never attack a woman for having children. So, as they say, my work here is done. Meow!”

Bergen was referring to vice presidential candidate JD Vance's now-viral comments mocking “childless cat ladies.”

At the beginning of the show, Selena Gomez also referred to Vance’s comments during a monologue with Only murders in the building Co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short.

“Steve, I want to tell you what an honor it is to work with someone who looks like he fell down and can't get up,” Short joked.

Martin replied: “And let me tell you what an honor it is for me to work with someone who looks like a former tennis champion.”

Then Gomez remarked, “And let me tell you, what an honor it is to work with two men who are so far from being childless cat ladies.”

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Vance's comment prompted several celebrities to speak out against him. Taylor Swift endorsed Harris for president after the September 10 debate.

“I will be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election,” Swift began in an Instagram post, alongside a photo of herself holding a cat. “I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes that I believe need a warrior to represent them. I think she is a calm, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country when we are led by calm, not chaos. I was so encouraged and impressed by her choice of her running mate @timwalz, who has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman's right to her own body for decades.”

“I've done my research and made my choice. It's all up to you to do your research and make the choice. I want to say to first-time voters in particular: remember you have to be registered to vote! I also find it much easier to vote early. In my story, I'll post links to registration options and dates and information on early voting.”

Swift then signed the statement as a “childless cat lady,” a reference to comments made by Trump’s running mate JD Vance in 2021.

Watch PEOPLE's full coverage of the 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, broadcast live from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on ABC.