JD Vance’s political rise has been one of the fastest in modern U.S. history — but with fame has come a flood of unwanted rumors that just won’t go away.
Back in 2016, Vance was a little-known venture capitalist promoting his memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. Fast forward to 2025, and he is now the Vice President of the United States. But despite his success, he and his family have found themselves the subject of constant gossip and online speculation.
One of the most persistent claims surrounds his marriage to Usha Vance, a California-born lawyer of Indian heritage whom he met while studying at Yale Law School. The two married in 2014, but in 2025 a viral TikTok video claimed that Usha had filed for divorce — all because Vance didn’t mention her in a Mother’s Day post, and she didn’t post anything for his birthday.
The video quickly spread, with social media users fueling the idea that the couple had split. Some even recycled an old quote falsely claiming that “Vance, twice divorced, chastised others for divorcing like changing underwear.”
There is no public evidence that the couple has ever divorced, but the rumor continues to follow them online.
Another strange rumor that made headlines was about Vance supposedly wearing eyeliner. During the 2024 election campaign, photos of the former Ohio senator appeared online showing what some people thought looked like makeup around his eyes. Within hours, memes and jokes flooded social media.
Even former congressman George Santos felt the need to respond, writing on X (formerly Twitter):
“Vance does NOT use eyeliner. I’ve met him in person before he was a senator, and I can confirm he just has long eyelashes that cast a shadow under bright studio lights.”
Celebrity makeup artists also joined the debate. Joseph Carrillo speculated that “there might have been a lash tint involved,” while Troy Surratt said he doubted Vance “would let a makeup artist anywhere near his lashes.”
Beyond the personal rumors, Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy remains one of the most influential political books of the past decade. It vividly tells the story of his Appalachian upbringing and the struggles of working-class America. One of the most memorable anecdotes involves his grandmother, affectionately known as “Mamaw,” who once threatened to set her husband on fire if he came home drunk again.
However, a family member later downplayed the dramatic story, saying that the “gasoline” Vance described in his book was actually just lighter fluid — not quite as dangerous, but still fiery enough to capture readers’ attention.
Despite criticism and countless online rumors, Vance and his family continue to live under the spotlight that comes with high political office. For now, the Vice President seems determined to focus on his political goals — even as the internet keeps revisiting the stories he’d probably rather leave behind.
