WASHINGTON Sen. Tommy Tuberville tried to praise fellow Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt for her response to President Joe Biden s State of the Union on Thursday, but landed himself in hot water in the process.

Asked if he had concerns with the setting of Britts speech she delivered it in her home kitchen in Alabama, which some on the left and right found in poor taste Tuberville said he didnt, because she was picked as a housewife, not just a senator.

He added: Somebody who sees it from a different perspective, you know education, family, all those things. ... I mean, she did what she was asked to do. I thought she did a good job. And its hard when youve never done anything like that.

Tuberville said he disagreed with critics of Britts delivery, panned by pundits on both sides of the aisle as being overly dramatic, and told HuffPost she did a good job.

I thought the delivery was good. People were going to make fun of anybody. Some people like it, some people dont, Tuberville said.

Britt, 42, is a former attorney and aide to retired Sen. Richard Shelby, who she replaced in the Senate in 2023. Shes considered a rising star in the GOP and has even been discussed as a possible vice presidential nominee. Republican leadership picked her for the job in part to offer a generational contrast with the 81-year-old Biden.

But many people found Britts tone in her speech off-putting and forced including some on the right, like commentator and staunch Trump supporter Charlie Kirk.

Im sure Katie Britt is a sweet mom and person, but this speech is not what we need, Kirk wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Joe Biden just declared war on the American right and Katie Britt is talking like shes hosting a cooking show whispering about how Democrats dont get it.

Britts GOP Senate colleagues downplayed the flak she got online, however, arguing the kitchen setting worked well to highlight how Bidens policies are impacting working families.

I think her point though was to sort of discern or differentiate between the big podium and the kitchen table topics is what she was aiming for, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said. Whether she struck that, I dont know, but Im quite certain the audience she was aiming at wasnt Charlie Kirks audience swing voters in swing states, probably suburban professional women.

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), meanwhile, criticized Tuberville for his comments about Britt, calling them wildly disrespectful and a sign of just how out of touch many Republicans are with women.