Dr. Jill Biden is sharing that a recent op-ed calling for her to drop “Dr.” from her title” was a “surprise” to her.
In an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal last Friday, Joseph Epstein questioned, “Madame First Lady—Mrs. Biden—Jill—kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the ‘Dr.’ before your name.”
During an interview with late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert, which aired Thursday night, Biden weighed in further on the op-ed.
“That was such a surprise,” she told Colbert, adding, “It was really the tone of it…You know, he called me ‘kiddo.’ One of the things that I’m most proud of is my doctorate. I mean I worked so hard for it.”
Colbert also asked the president-elect if he ever wanted to “get out a length of pull chain and go full Corn Pop on these people,” but when going to respond his wife stepped in, “The answer is no.”
Watch Jill Biden’s comments below:
TONIGHT! @StephenAtHome sits down with President-elect @JoeBiden and @DrBiden and they respond to the attacks on her doctorate degree. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/HMDGxoaq27
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) December 18, 2020
Biden appeared to respond to the op-ed in a tweet earlier this week where she wrote, “Together, we will build a world where the accomplishments of our daughters will be celebrated, rather than diminished.”
She earned her Doctorate in Education in 2007 from the University of Delaware
Former First Lady Michelle Obama was among the many who came to Biden’s defense, as IJR reported.
“Right now, we’re all seeing what also happens to so many professional women, whether their titles are Dr., Ms., Mrs., or even First Lady: All too often, our accomplishments are met with skepticism, even derision,” Obama wrote in an Instagram post, along with a photo of her and Biden.
Obama also asked, “Is this really the example we want to set for the next generation?”
The WSJ’s editorial page editor Paul Gigot penned an op-ed following criticism of Epstein’s op-ed. He wrote, “The outrage is overwrought because, whether you agree or disagree, Mr. Epstein’s piece was fair comment.”