Speculation is swirling around the state of US Vice President JD Vance's marriage to Second Lady Usha Vance after she was photographed without her wedding ring, sparking a flurry of online chatter about a potential split.
The Missing Wedding Ring
The rumours ignited on Wednesday, November 19, when Usha Vance accompanied First Lady Melania Trump on a visit to Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Images from the event clearly showed the Second Lady's hand without her wedding band, leading to immediate speculation on social media about trouble in the couple's decade-long marriage.
A spokesperson for Usha Vance was quick to address the claims, offering a simple and domestic explanation. The spokesperson stated that Usha, "a mother of three young children, who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes." This attempted to quash the rumours by framing the absence of the ring as an ordinary oversight.
The Hug That Started the Chatter
However, the ring incident was not the first to raise eyebrows. The whispers about the Vances' relationship began weeks earlier, following an event on October 29.
JD Vance appeared at a Turning Point USA tour stop at the University of Mississippi alongside Erika Kirk, the widow of the late commentator Charlie Kirk and the new CEO of the organisation. Following an emotional speech by Kirk, the pair shared an intimate embrace on stage.
The hug, which was captured on video and went viral, showed Erika placing her hand on JD's hand, while his hand rested on her waist. The body language was scrutinised intensely online, with many questioning the nature of their closeness.
Adding fuel to the fire, during her speech, Erika Kirk noted "similarities" between JD Vance and her late husband, stating, "No one will ever replace my husband. But I do see some similarities between my husband and JD." Despite this, she also praised both JD and Usha in a separate interview, calling them "the most incredible people" with "genuine love."
Faith, Comments, and Political Jabs
Further speculation was fuelled by Vance's own comments about their interfaith marriage. Usha is Hindu, while JD is a devout Catholic. During a talk at the University of Mississippi in October, Vance expressed his hope that his wife might one day convert to Christianity.
"Most Sundays, Usha will come with me to church," he said. "Do I hope, eventually, that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved in by church? Yeah, honestly, I do wish that." This contrasted with Usha's own statement in June, where she made it clear she had no plans to convert.
The couple also faced scrutiny after a March speech in Michigan where Vance joked that his wife "has to smile and laugh" at his comments in public "no matter how crazy" he sounds. The remark was perceived by some online as controlling, though Usha was seen laughing at the time.
Adding a political dimension, Joe Biden's former press secretary, Jen Psaki, made a controversial joke in October, suggesting Usha needed to be "saved" from her husband and should "blink four times" if she needed help. Vance later called these remarks "disgraceful."
The couple, who have been married since 2014 after meeting at Yale Law School, have three children together. For now, the official line is that the marriage is strong, attributing the missing ring to a simple case of a busy mother's forgetfulness.
