Former Vice President Kamala Harris has long faced criticism over her distinctive laugh. Responding to the backlash, she said that it is sexist to mock her exuberant cackle.
Kamala Harris on Republicans mocking her laugh and joyful demeanor: “I’ll say to whoever the young people are who are watching this: Sometimes your adversaries will try to turn your strength into a weakness. Don’t you let them.” pic.twitter.com/JNQr9FgZ8l
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 17, 2024
During a recent appearance on the Rich Little Girls podcast, Harris recalled being asked by a reporter about the commentary of her lacking humility. She told the podcaster, “I don’t aspire to be humble. Humility, yes, is very important.”
She continued, “[It’s] a very dated perspective on who women should be. To say, [that] women should be humble. Women should be quiet. Women should laugh quietly.”
Harris added, “Women should not have a sense of humor. Women should not raise their voice. I have never felt burdened by those very dated, and I think out-of-touch standards.”
This wasn’t the first time Harris addressed sexist criticism, highlighting outdated expectations that “women should laugh quietly.” In earlier interviews, she said her strong “belly laughs” are something she holds dear.
In an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show last year, Harris noted, “I have my mother’s laugh. I grew up with a bunch of women, in particular, who laughed from the belly … I think it’s really important to remind each other and our younger ones: ‘Don’t be confined to other people’s perception about what this looks like or how you should act in order to be.’”
Harris’s laugh became a focal point in the 2024 campaign. During her brief run as the Democratic presidential nominee, her laugh was weaponized by her political opponents.
On TikTok and other social media platforms, her laugh was used in the background of viral sounds since she became the de facto nominee. Much of the discourse around those videos was split.
Some users reacted positively in the comments saying, “Kamala”‘s laugh is pure happiness,” with a purple heart emoji. While another user has claimed, “I hate that I love it.” A user on X (formerly Twitter) also shared how Harris’s whole campaign got deflected because of “her laugh.”
Kamala Harris outlined policy proposals nearly every time she spoke. Critics still said she didn’t have concrete policies. Then they derided her laugh.
— Jan Pippins (@JanPippins) December 23, 2025
While some found her laugh to be “genuine,” “honest,” and “wholesome,” others criticized it to question her seriousness and fitness for office.
Donald Trump labeled her “crazy” and “nuts,” terms steeped in sexism. He said, “You can tell a lot by a laugh.”
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Experts claimed that kind of focus on Harris was blatant misogyny. They further called out the age-old practice of labeling women in power as “crazy.”
Julia Gillard and Hillary Clinton have faced sexist scorn for their leadership styles, voices, and laughs. Trump’s 2016 campaign ads included setting Clinton’s laugh to ominous background music.
Right-wing media personalities also worked Harris’s laugh into their discourse. Fox News host Sean Hannity dedicated a segment last year to explain why voters don’t like Harris, and it was just filled with snippets of her laughing.
According to the Director of USC’s Black Studies Center, Oneka LaBennett, there’s an added racial layer to the criticism against Harris. She told NBC that discomfort around Black and brown joy is disappointing but not surprising. As per LaBennett, “She’s facing these intersectional forms of racism and misogyny.”
She argued that Trump has never been subjected to the same scrutiny or expectations when it comes to his emotional expression. She exclaimed, “Donald Trump rarely laughs!”
