Washington, D.C. – December 6, 2025 – Vice President JD Vance says he and Second Lady Usha Vance are largely amused, rather than bothered, by the persistent online chatter questioning the state of their marriage, especially after recent photographs showed Usha appearing in public without her wedding ring.
In a wide-ranging interview with NBC News published Friday, the 41-year-old vice president brushed aside the speculation that has trended periodically on social media since early November. “We mostly get a kick out of it,” Vance said, adding that the couple views the gossip as an inevitable side effect of life in the national spotlight. He described their eleven-year marriage as “as strong as it’s ever been” and praised Usha’s graceful adaptation to her new role, saying it has been “really cool” to watch her grow into the position of Second Lady.
The latest round of rumors began on November 19 when Usha joined First Lady Melania Trump on a morale-boosting visit to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. During the trip, which included stops at Lejeune High School and a hangar at nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River, photographers captured Usha greeting service members and students with her left hand clearly visible — and bare of the simple gold wedding band she has worn since the couple’s 2014 ceremony in Kentucky.
Social media users quickly seized on the detail. Posts on X and TikTok dissected the images, with some suggesting the missing ring signaled marital trouble. The speculation gained additional fuel from unrelated comments Vance made in October about hoping his Hindu-raised wife would one day embrace Christianity, remarks he later clarified were not meant to pressure her.
The ringless appearances continued. On November 25, Usha again went without her wedding band while volunteering with Melania Trump at Joint Base Andrews, packing holiday care packages for deployed troops. A week earlier, she had been photographed the same way during a visit to wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Vance shared a relatable behind-the-scenes anecdote to explain the pattern. He recounted a recent morning at the vice-presidential residence when Usha, rushing to leave for an event with the First Lady, realized after showering that she had left her rings upstairs. “She was like, ‘If I don’t go back and get them, the internet is going to lose its mind,’” Vance recalled with a laugh. He told her it wasn’t worth the trip back upstairs and to “let them talk.” The couple later chuckled together as the predictable wave of commentary rolled in.
When asked directly whether the scrutiny has been difficult for them, Vance was unequivocal: “I actually don’t think that it’s tough.” He emphasized that both he and Usha treat the rumors with humor rather than frustration, viewing them as the price of public service.
A spokesperson for the Second Lady earlier offered a practical explanation, noting that Usha — mother to the couple’s three young children, Ewan, 8, Vivek, 5, and Mirabel, 3 — spends considerable time doing dishes, giving baths, and managing the daily chaos of family life, and simply forgets to put her rings back on from time to time.
The episode is only the latest chapter in a year of unusually intense focus on the Vances’ personal life. Since Inauguration Day, Usha has become the first woman of Indian descent and the first Hindu-raised individual to serve as Second Lady, milestones that have drawn both celebration and curiosity. Meanwhile, JD Vance’s rapid political rise from bestselling author and freshman senator to the nation’s second-highest office has kept the couple under a microscope few political families have experienced in the social-media age.
Despite the noise, Vance insisted the scrutiny has not strained their relationship. On the contrary, he said watching Usha navigate her new platform — championing early-childhood literacy and military family support — has been one of the most rewarding parts of the past year.
As the administration heads into the holiday season and its first full year in office, the vice president appeared eager to put the ring saga to rest. “With anything in life, you take the good with the bad,” he said, smiling. “And honestly, the good far outweighs the bad — including the occasional ridiculous internet rumor.”
