Second Lady Returns to Wedding Ring Amid Marriage Speculation
Second Lady Usha Vance has been spotted wearing her wedding ring during the traditional turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, putting to rest weeks of online speculation about the state of her marriage to Vice President JD Vance.
The appearance comes after the vice president's wife faced significant online trolling when she chose not to wear her wedding band last Wednesday during a visit to troops alongside First Lady Melania Trump at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Spokesman Addresses the Absence
A spokesman for Usha Vance quickly poured cold water on the speculation, explaining that 'she is a mother of three young children who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes'.
The Second Lady proved her critics wrong once again on Tuesday as she appeared wearing the ring proudly during the turkey pardoning ceremony alongside JD Vance and their three-year-old daughter Mirabel.
This wasn't the first time Usha had been seen without her wedding band. Photos from her previous appearance on November 10 during a joint visit to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with her husband show she wasn't wearing it at that event either.
Social Media Reacts to Ring Absence
As images of Usha's ring-free finger began circulating on social media platform X, commentators quickly began speculating about the meaning behind its absence.
One user joked that Usha was 'Quiet Quitting her husband' while another commented 'there were signs...' alongside an image of Vice President Vance hugging Erika Kirk.
Other social media users came to Usha's defence, with Kori Talbot writing: 'Yes, many people (not just women) don't wear their wedding rings all the time.'
Gina Milan added supportively: 'So many people leave their wedding rings at home when they travel. Plenty take them off at night and forget to put them back on because they're juggling kids and real life.'
The Hug That Sparked Controversy
The speculation about a possible rift in the Vance marriage began in October when the Vice President shared what many considered an intimate hug with Erika Kirk during a memorial for her husband, right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
The embrace occurred in Utah at the memorial event for Charlie Kirk, who had been shot dead while hosting a campus event weeks earlier.
Vice President Vance was seen placing his hands around the waist of Kirk, a former reality TV contestant, while she ran her hands through his hair during what many argued was clearly a moment of shared grief between two people who adored Charlie.
Erika Kirk addressed the hug for the first time during an interview with Megyn Kelly at an on-stage event in Arizona last Friday, explaining: 'My love language is touch, if you will... I'm starting to cry. He says, "I'm so proud of you." And I say, "God bless you," and I touch the back of his head.'
Religious Differences Surface
In an interview late last month, the Vice President revealed another potential point of contention between him and his wife – their different religious backgrounds.
Second Lady Usha Vance is Hindu and did not grow up in a religious household, according to her husband. Vance, conversely, is a devout Roman Catholic who plans to raise their three children in a Christian household.
The Vice President told a MAGA audience at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi: 'Now, most Sundays Usha will come with me to church' before revealing he had told Usha he would like her to 'believe in the Christian Gospel'.
This marked the first time Vance publicly revealed that he wanted his wife to convert to Christianity, though he added: 'But if she doesn't, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn't cause a problem for me.'
The Vance Family Background
Usha and JD Vance first met at Yale Law School and married in 2014. They have built a family together with three children: sons Ewan, aged 8, and Vivek, aged 5, and daughter Mirabel, aged 3.
The couple were recently photographed during their tour of the Taj Mahal in Agra on April 23, 2025, showing the family smiling together during what appeared to be a happy family moment.
Tuesday's Thanksgiving ceremony at the White House saw the Vance family posing next to a pardoned turkey named Gobble in the Rose Garden, with Usha's wedding ring clearly visible and the family presenting a united front.
The image serves as a powerful rebuttal to weeks of online speculation and demonstrates that despite the pressures of public life and religious differences, the Second Couple remains committed to their marriage and family.
