Usha And JD Vance Have Stirred Up Divorce Rumors More Than A Few Times

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It can be difficult to imagine that Usha and JD Vance were once just a young couple happily in love. However, such was the case for two Yale Law School students whose paths officially crossed when they were in a discussion group centered around "social decline in white America" in 2010. In JD's 2016 book "Hillbilly Elegy," he admitted that he was basically smitten with Usha from the moment they met. "She seemed some sort of genetic anomaly, a combination of every positive quality a human being should have: bright, hardworking, tall and beautiful," the future vice president wrote (via The New York Times).

Meanwhile, during Usha's 2017 interview with NBC, she revealed that their relationship began as a friendship, which was only strengthened by the fact that they saw each other in all their classes. The future SLOTUS also recalled how she was particularly impressed by her future husband's punctuality, which he demonstrated by promptly arriving at their 9 a.m. meetings for college work. Soon enough, they were on their very first date. 

In "Hillbilly Elegy," Vance shared that he had broken a dating rule by telling Usha that he loved her after their first date. The pair would go on to marry in 2014 in a Hindu and Catholic ceremony. Both of Usha's weddings were obviously vastly different from Melania Trump's. Usha and JD would welcome three children in the following years and were expecting their fourth in 2026. However, their once-happy marital dynamics seem to have shifted since JD rose to prominence. And their behavior around each other in public constantly made it seem like they were on the verge of divorce.

Halloween 2025 became particularly spooky for Usha and JD Vance's marriage because he shared a hug with Erika Kirk at a Turning Point USA event days prior. To many netizens, the embrace seemed particularly intimate because Erika had even briefly run her hand through the VP's hair while he smiled from ear to ear. Notably, Charlie Kirk's widow rolled her eyes about the public scrutiny surrounding the hug when she appeared on "The Megyn Kelly Show" in November 2025. According to Erika, she was a hugger through and through, and she embraced basically everyone she knew in the same way she did JD.

As the divorce rumors started to run amok, Usha added more fuel to the fire by not wearing her wedding ring during a public appearance with Melania Trump on November 19. However, a spokesperson for the SLOUTS swiftly shared a statement with People to claim that the missing engagement ring wasn't a cause for concern. They explained that Usha is "a mother of three young children, who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes." While that explanation made sense, it was still pretty weird that Usha just happened to forget her wedding ring right around the time her husband shared a cozy hug with another woman. 

Moreover, it's a little hard to believe that a prominent public figure like SLOTUS does her own dishes. Strangely enough, that wasn't the last time that Usha ditched her wedding ring, as the rock was also nowhere to be found when she attended an event with the first lady in December. 

Speaking on the "Katie Miller Podcast" in August 2025, JD Vance hinted that his marital life with Usha Vance hadn't been the same since he joined Donald Trump's ticket. The vice president fondly recalled how he and his wife used to have fun date nights and go out to a local bar. However, after he was thrust into the spotlight, he and Usha had to settle for sharing a homemade cocktail on their porch. 

JD also proudly revealed that they managed to squeeze in some quality time in their busy schedules, thanks to his monthly husband-wife book club. He gave himself a pat on the back for coming up with an activity that was "actually forcing us to do something together that makes us think, that makes us talk, that gives us something that we're sort of thinking about and talking about at the exact same time. That's been very good."

On paper, it does seem like JD has found a way to show love to a partner whose love language is quality time. However, his choice of words definitely left more to be desired. To point out the obvious, his admission that the activity had "forced" them to spend time together made it seem like they wouldn't have done so otherwise. Additionally, his words made it seem like he and his wife wouldn't have much to talk about if it weren't for the book club. Moreover, JD also confessed that he wasn't up to speed with their spousal book club either, because he had been unable to find time to read in his schedule.

During an August 2024 interview with Newsmax, JD Vance confirmed that his wife, Usha Vance, had decided to walk away from her job as a lawyer the very same day that she learned that Donald Trump had picked him as his running mate. According to JD, this was because Usha wanted to accompany him on the campaign trail and "take the message forward" (via NBC). Although Usha was present at several campaign events in 2024, she mostly kept a low profile and didn't seem as interested in pushing the agenda as JD had claimed. 

During a June 2025 appearance on the "Citizen McCain" podcast, Usha confirmed that she did indeed have a deeply-rooted love for her previous job. She said that although she did not have a plan for her post-SLOTUS life, she did have a dream, saying, "In a dream world, eventually I'll be able to live in my home and continue my career." The former lawyer made a similarly telling revelation in a May 2025 interview with Fox News, saying, "While I certainly miss working, I am grateful that I have the time to ensure that our home life is as normal and stable as possible." 

With those remarks, Usha all but confirmed that she wasn't living the life she wanted. And based on a report from The Washington Post, the former lawyer probably didn't think that Trump would be a part of their lives at all. According to an insider, Usha had been "generally appalled" by the Republican president since he took office the first time. And her distaste for him had apparently only grown after the January 6th riots.

During an August 2024 appearance on the "Full Send" podcast, JD Vance recalled how he had endured a thorough character examination with Usha Vance by his side in order to become Donald Trump's running mate. After enduring repeated questions about whether he had "a secret family," JD joked, "'Oh, by the way, if I did, I'm not going to admit it in front of my wife.'" 

Unfortunately, that wasn't even the worst crack that JD made at his wife's expense. While SLOTUS stood right behind him at a public event in March 2025, the VP said, "And here's the thing, because the cameras are all on, anything that I say, no matter how crazy, Usha has to smile and laugh and celebrate it" (via X, formerly Twitter). Many social media commentators found the joke offensive to the point where they were essentially screaming at Usha to divorce her husband. 

Sadly, JD wasn't joking around when he made a red-flag-filled admission about his marriage during a September 2025 appearance on "The Charlie Kirk Show." The vice president started by thinking back to the time Erika Kirk had gushed about her late husband, and how he had never shouted at her. JD confessed that although he was a "pretty good husband" in his own eyes, he had still been "unpleasant" with Usha and had in fact raised his voice at her. Needless to say, his account wasn't a good look for their relationship. And according to our matchmaker, there are numerous other troubling red flags in JD and Usha's marriage.

If you didn't know who JD Vance was, his Mother's Day 2025 message would give the impression that he was a single man. "Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. We love you and are grateful for you!" the vice president wrote in an X post on the big day. JD didn't even have to be poetic about it; he could have just thrown in "including my wife, Usha" as a simple form of acknowledgement for the mother of his three kids, Usha Vance. 

Although Usha did wish JD a happy Father's Day the following month on Instagram, she could only muster up three photos of him hanging out with their kids, which obviously didn't paint the best picture of their family life. At least the former lawyer's Instagram caption was far warmer, since it detailed all the fun they would be getting up to on the big day. But for some reason, the second lady, who had a complete style transformation since JD took up politics, followed that up by completely ignoring him on his birthday in July. 

Although publicly shouting your partner out on a special day isn't necessary to have a happy marriage, it's still odd that the Vances only seem to honor each other on certain occasions. Their inconsistency ultimately gave many the impression that their marriage was going through a rough patch. However, they have both insisted that everything is just fine behind the scenes. In fact, JD told NBC in December 2025 that his "marriage is as strong as it's ever been." Naturally, many found that hard to believe.