JD Vance Addresses Rumors About His Marriage: ‘It’s Difficult On The Family’

JD Vance is swatting down the latest round of Beltway gossip after his wife, Usha, was photographed without her wedding ring, fueling a wave of speculation about the state of their marriage. The Vice President says the chatter is nonsense, though he admits public life has put a strain on the family, as is typical for any political figure.

Usha, now the nation’s second lady, has been seen ringless several times in recent weeks, prompting whispers of a rift. The Daily Mail reported she was first spotted without it during an event with First Lady Melania Trump in November, then again in early December at Joint Base Andrews.

Her spokesperson brushed it off, saying Usha “does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes.”

Vance told NBC News the couple actually laughed at the whole thing. “I think that we kind of get a kick out of it,” he said Thursday.

“With anything in life, you take the good with the bad,” he added. “You accept that there are some sacrifices and there are some very good things that come along with it, too. But our marriage is as strong as it’s ever been, and I think Usha’s really taken to it, and it’s been kind of cool to see how she’s developed and evolved in this new role.”

Still, Vance made clear the spotlight isn’t easy. “There are certainly ways in which it’s difficult on the family … I’m not going to pretend that it isn’t. But it’s the sacrifice that we signed up for.”

He also offered fresh context for why the ring was missing during Usha’s most recent outing with Melania. The pair were rushing out the door for a White House event when Usha realized she’d left her rings upstairs after taking a shower.

JD and Usha Vance

“She was like, ‘Oh, if I don’t go back and get them, there’s going to be some ridiculous psycho who talks about it on social media,’” Vance recalled. “And I was like, ‘Let them. It’s not even worth the trip to run back upstairs.’ So we actually have a little bit of fun with it. And we thought that whole viral social media cycle was kind of funny.”

The rumor mill first revved up in October after Vance gave Charlie Kirk’s wife, Erika, a tight hug at her husband’s memorial. Things escalated again when Vance publicly said he had urged Usha to convert from Hinduism to Catholicism. He later clarified the matter on X, saying, “She is not Christian and has no plans to convert.”

The couple married in 2014 and has three children. Usha, who rarely gives interviews or steps into the media glare, is now leading a childhood literacy initiative.

“I think that when you’re in love with somebody, you’re always sort of curious what they get attached to and what they get interested in,” Vance said. “It’s been amazing to see her really lean into this child literacy thing. And I think it speaks very highly of her.”

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