“Vance announces divorce, marries Charlie Kirk’s widow”- New York Times author’s claims go viral amidst Erika Kirk’s onstage controversy
JD Vance, the U.S. Vice President, and Erika Kirk, the wife of the late political activist Charlie Kirk, appeared together at an event at the University of Mississippi on October 29, 2025. Their interaction quickly spread across social media after several photos and videos from the event went viral.
In one of the photos, Erika can be seen hugging Vance and placing her hand on his head. The image drew a lot of attention online, especially after journalist Shannon Watts reshared it on X (formerly Twitter) with a sarcastic caption suggesting Vance would divorce his wife and marry Erika by the end of 2026.
Neither JD Vance nor Erika Kirk has publicly commented on the post. Shannon Watts has since limited who can reply to her post on X.
Speculation about JD Vance’s marriage began after comments he made during the event. When asked about his religious beliefs, Vance said he hoped his wife, Usha, might one day share his Christian faith. He explained that he believes in the Christian Gospel and wishes that his wife would see it the same way. Vance also mentioned that he and Usha have always had open discussions about raising their children since they come from different religious backgrounds, and that she sometimes accompanies him to church.
These remarks sparked a wave of criticism online. Many people, including public figures, accused Vance of being insensitive or pushing his beliefs onto others. Suhag Shukla, the executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, said that Vance is not “pastor in chief” but a Vice President whose focus should be on leading the country, not preaching religion.
In response to the backlash, Vance addressed the issue on X on October 31, 2025, in a post that has since been deleted. He called some of the reactions “disgusting” and said he only answered the audience’s question because he is a public figure and felt it was his duty to respond honestly. He clarified that his wife, Usha, is not a Christian and has no plans to convert, but she was actually the one who encouraged him to reconnect with his faith years ago. He also emphasized that he deeply loves and respects her and that their different religious beliefs do not affect their relationship.
Vance ended his response by criticizing what he saw as anti-Christian bias online. He wrote that it’s normal for Christians to want to share their faith with others and that people who portray this as wrong are pushing an agenda.
According to People magazine, JD and Usha Vance have been married since 2014 and have three children: Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel.
