After being the target of a highly-criticized Wall Street Journal op-ed, Dr. Jill Biden defended her doctorate title during an interview withThe Late Showhost Stephen Colbert.
"That was such a surprise," Biden said, sitting with her husband, President-elect Joe Biden. "It was really the tone of it...He called me 'kiddo.'”
The op-ed, written by Joseph Epstein, called on Biden to drop “Dr.” from her title because it “sounds and feels fraudulent.”
“A wise man once said that no one should call himself 'Dr.' unless he has delivered a child,” Epstein wrote. “Think about it, Dr. Jill, and forthwith drop the doc."
People quickly dragged the op-ed and the WSJ for publishing the article, and now Biden is defending her title.
“One of the things that I'm most proud of is my doctorate,” Biden told Colbert. “I mean, I worked so hard for it.
Biden graduated from the University of Delaware in 2007, earning her doctorate in education. Similar to countless other people with doctorates, Biden uses the title in professional and official contexts.
“Joe came when I defended my thesis,” Biden shared, before her husband revealed that he was the one who convinced her to pursue the doctorate so she could “make us some real money.”
At the time Joe served as a senator for Delaware.
"I've been suppressing my Irishness for a long time,” the former VP told Colbert when asked if the article motivated him to defend his wife.
Critics called Epstein’s op-ed sexist, elitist, and a huge waste of space considering there’s a lot going on right now. Biden expressed her gratitude for the outpouring of support.
“Look at all the people who came out in support of me,” Dr. Biden said. “I am so grateful, and I was just overwhelmed by how gracious people were.”
Check out the full clip fromThe Late Show below.
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