Julia Roberts has come under fire following her narration of a new Harris-Walz campaign ad, released on Monday by the progressive organization Vote Common Good.

Jan 6, 2019; Beverly Hills, CA, USA; Julia Roberts arrives at the 76th Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton. Mandatory Credit: Dan MacMedan-USA TODAY NETWORK

The ad, directed at female voters, suggests that women can choose their candidates privately in the voting booth, regardless of their spouses’ political preferences.

Roberts voices this message, saying, “In the one place in America where women still have a right to choose, you can vote any way you want, and no one will ever know.”

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In the ad, two women are shown voting for the Harris-Walz ticket. After they finish voting and meet their husbands, one husband asks, “Did you make the right choice?” The woman responds, “Sure did, honey.” Roberts concludes the ad with, “Remember, what happens in the booth, stays in the booth. Vote Harris-Walz.”

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The ad has sparked backlash online, with critics saying it misrepresents women and implies divisiveness.

Denny Burk, a professor at Boyce College, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, critiquing Roberts’s narration, “Julia Roberts does the voice-over for this execrable political ad. The gist of it is this: Since men like your husband have taken away your right to choose abortion, you can stick it to them by exercising your right to choose Harris-Walz.”

Author and columnist Caryn Sullivan also reacted to Burk’s post, adding, “Don’t be that woman.”

In another post, Sullivan elaborated, “This ad featuring actress Julia Roberts encourages women to defy or lie to their husbands because the end (abortion) justifies the means. A fitting way to end a campaign marked by dishonesty and false claims of unity.”

Other users on X echoed these sentiments, with one saying, “If you have to lie to your spouse about voting, that is the least of your problems.”

Another user commented, “Women aren’t stupid. This is absurdly condescending.”

Some also pointed out the use of patriotic imagery in the ad, with one remarking, “I like the implication that only Republicans display patriotic imagery and American flags. I mean, it’s true, but hilarious to see you admit it in your creepy ad.”

Vote Common Good reportedly spent around $30,000 to produce and promote the ad, according to statements from Doug Pagitt, the group’s executive director, published in The Wall Street Journal.

Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick weighed in on all this with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham. Watch:


Roberts has been actively involved in campaigning for Harris-Walz, even returning to her hometown of Smyrna, Georgia, earlier in October to encourage voters in the state.

At a rally there, Roberts urged women to speak to their families about the election, saying, “I just hope that all the women here tonight talk to all the men that aren’t here tonight, and all you brave men that are here tonight, talk to all the other men that aren’t here tonight. Let’s just get it going, enough with the fighting.”

Roberts continued, “Let’s get to the uniting, let’s get to the joy, let’s get to the repair, let’s get to prices dropping, rents dropping. Let’s get to the good stuff so we can start living our lives to the fullest potential that we have.”

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