JD Vance brushes off speculation about his marriage

<i>Mark Schiefelbein/AP/File via CNN Newsource</i><br/>Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance attend the posthumous awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk

By CNN Newsource

Published December 5, 2025 6:52 AM

By Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN

(CNN) — Vice President JD Vance said he and second lady Usha Vance are largely amused by the online chatter dissecting their marriage, including a recent spate of headlines over photos of her without a wedding ring.

“I think that we kind of get a kick out of it,” Vance told NBC News in an interview released on Friday. When asked whether he was frustrated by the tabloid-style attention, he said, “With anything in life, you take the good with the bad.”

“(O)ur 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,” the vice president told NBC News.

It comes amid online speculation about the couple’s marriage after Usha Vance was photographed without her ring during a visit to a military base with first lady Melania Trump.

Pressed by NBC News on whether coverage like that has been difficult for the couple, Vance dismissed the idea.

“It’s funny,” he said. “I actually don’t think that it’s tough.”

The vice president then spoke about a recent trip to the White House, saying Usha Vance realized she had again had left her rings upstairs after taking a shower. She considered going back for them, but Vance told her not to.

“We thought that whole viral social media cycle was kind of funny,” he said.