Jill Biden tells Colbert she's proud of her doctorate, baffled by criticism of her use of honorific

(Image credit: Screenshot/twitter/The Late Show)

A former lecturer at Northwestern University named Joseph Epstein wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal last week criticizing incoming first lady Jill Biden's use of the prefix Dr., since she holds a doctorate in education and not a medical degree. "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," Epstein began. He dismissed the "unpromising" title of her dissertation, "Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students’ Needs.'"

Biden, 69, told Stephen Colbert on Thursday's Late Show she found the critique "such a surprise," especially the tone. "You know, he called me 'kiddo,'" she said. "One of the things I'm most proud of is my doctorate. You know, I worked so hard for it." Biden said she was grateful and "overwhelmed by how gracious people were" in responding to the op-ed.

There was a lot of criticism of and bafflement at Epstein's op-ed, but his argument did have its supporters. Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has a BA in history from a small college in Connecticut and apparently thinks anyone knows what to do with an appendix, echoed Epstein's honorific argument and ridiculed Biden's dissertation on Wednesday night.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Colbert asked Joe Biden if he wanted to "get out a length of pool chain and go full Corn Pop on these people," and Biden seemed to bite his tongue while Jill Biden shot down the idea. "I've been suppressing my Irishness for a long time," Joe Biden said. Jill Biden said she's excited to continue teaching as first lady, but waved away the history-making aspect of a first lady who works a full-time outside job, noting she did the same thing as second lady. Watch below. Peter Weber

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.