Second Lady Usha Vance is finally addressing the gossip mill that’s been working overtime ever since Vice President JD Vance took office. The rumors—sparked by a few public appearances without her wedding ring—have been treated by the political press like a national emergency. Usha Vance, however, seems far less concerned.
In an interview with USA Today published Saturday, December 13, the 39-year-old lawyer spoke candidly about adjusting to life in the political spotlight, acknowledging that change comes with tradeoffs. “There are things that I miss and things that I’m excited to have moved on from,” she said, reflecting on the dramatic shift from private life to national scrutiny.
According to the report, Usha still dreams of returning to Cincinnati, where she and JD built their life together before Washington came calling. The couple, married in 2014, share three young children—sons Ewan, 8, and Vivek, 5, and daughter Mirabel—and are navigating the pressures of public life while raising a family.
That hasn’t stopped the rumor industry from fixating on trivial details, including whether Usha is wearing her wedding ring at any given moment. On at least two occasions, she appeared without it, prompting breathless speculation. A spokesperson previously told People that she “forgets her ring sometimes,” a perfectly normal explanation that did little to slow the gossip.
Usha addressed that directly, saying, “I find that one of the really curious things about this life is that people really like to read the tea leaves, and there’s a kind of an industry building stories about everything that they can imagine.” As for the ring itself, she added, “Sometimes I’m wearing it and sometimes I’ve just been to the gym and showered and I’m not wearing it.”
She said she and JD “do find it kind of funny” that their personal life keeps making headlines, but she’s not letting it dictate how they live. “I’d rather just sort of live in my marriage and in the real world and less in kind of the fever dreams that surround it,” she explained. “So I mean, it is kind of a family joke, but also not something that I spend very much time thinking about.”
JD Vance has echoed that sentiment. Speaking to NBC News, he acknowledged the strain that public attention can place on a family. “There are certainly ways in which it’s difficult on the family,” he said. “I’m not going to pretend that it isn’t. But it’s the sacrifice that we signed up for.” Despite the noise, he made the point clear: their marriage “is as strong as it’s ever been.”
In other words, while critics and gossip peddlers hunt for cracks, the Vances appear focused on reality—not the fever dreams of the political press.
