Drew Barrymore tells VP Kamala Harris 'we need you to be Momala,' draws mixed reactions

DrewBarrymore's on-screen behavior during her daytime talk show typically has people talking, but her recent comments toward Vice President Kamala Harris are raising eyebrows, too.

During Monday's episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show," the vice president told the actress and TV host about the first time she met first gentleman Doug Emhoff's children, Cole Emhoff and Ella Emhoff.

"We kind of don't use the term 'step' because I just think, Iove Disney, but Disney kind of messed that up for a lot of us over the years, you know the evil stepparent?" Harris said, referring to "the evil stepmother" trope in Disney films. Harris said her children call her "Momala."

Meet Vice President Harris' family:from Doug Emhoff's kids to Phenomenal designer Meena Harris

Later in the conversation about co-parenting, Barrymore pivoted and said "that's a great segue to say that I keep thinking in my head that we all need a mom.

"I've been really thinking we really all need a tremendous hug in the world now, but in our country we need you to be 'Momala' of the country," Barrymore told Harris. She leaned into the vice president, grabbed her hands and delivered a short monologue before telling Harris "we need a great protector."

Drew Barrymore's 'Momala' comments yield mixed reactions

While the audience clapped during the moment, viewers had mixed reactions on social media.

"'Momala' is INSANE. Not it’s up to a black woman to rock us in her bosom and heal our wounds," one commenter added.

"Drew Barrymore really sat 2 inches away from VP Harris' face and asked her to mammy the nation. The look on Harris' face is the look of generational rage, but Kamala sat right there and lapped it up, like the agent of white supremacy she is," another person said.

"I'm gonna leave Drew Barrymore alone. That woman is a survivor. She's quirky, but she's a survivor. She's always been very cool to people. No hate for her at all," one commented said on X, in reference to her traumatic childhood.

"Drew Barrymore is the worst host of any show I've ever seen. She is an embarrassment," one user said on X.

"I usually advocate for Drew’s quirky brand-but this is too far," another user wrote, while another added, "We women are not just automatic maternal figures forever and always."

'Momala is my favorite,' Kamala Harris wrote in 2019 essay

Harris has opened up about being "Momala" before. In a Mother's Day 2019 Instagram post with Cole Emhoff and Ella Emhoff, Harris wrote that "of all the titles I've ever had, Momala is my favorite."

She also shares a close bond with their mother and the first gentleman's ex-wife, film producer Kerstin Emhoff. Harris wrote about their "modern family" and called Kerstin Emhoff "an incredible mother" in a 2019 Elle essay.

"Kerstin and I hit it off ourselves and are dear friends. She and I became a duo of cheerleaders in the bleachers at Ella’s swim meets and basketball games, often to Ella's embarrassment. We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost a little too functional," Harris wrote.

Barrymore has long been open about her traumatic youth as a childhood star.

She was born to actors Jaid and John Drew Barrymore in 1975. The Emmy-nominated actress became emancipated from her parents during her turbulent childhood which included drug-fueled outings to nightclubs with mother Jaid, a compulsory stint in rehab at age 13 and a pair of suicide attempts.

Contributing: Edward Segarra