J.D. Vance Refers to His 3 Children As His "Wife’s Kids" — The Internet Finds It Really Weird

Republican VP pick J.D. Vance found himself in hot waters following comments made during a recent The New York Times interview when the Ohio Senator referred to his children as his wife’s. Vance, discussing his conversion to Catholicism in 2019, spoke about attending weekly church services with his wife, Usha, who is Hindu, and their three children. As per BuzzFeed, he raised eyebrows when he said, 'She has got three kids,' leading to an immediate wave of backlash online.

During the interview, Vance expressed regret over taking Usha to church despite her not sharing his faith. "No, she hasn’t [converted]. That is why I feel bad about it. She has got three kids. Obviously, I help with the kids, but because I am kind of the one going to church, she feels more responsibility to keep the kids quiet in the church," Vance said. In response, a TikTok user commented, "Phrasing it as 'She’s got three kids' about his own children is wild."

An X (formerly Twitter) user echoed, "'She has three kids?' DID SHE MIRACLE THEM BY HERSELF, VANCE?" Another quipped, “When JD Vance says, ‘My wife has three children’ – he does not refer to his wife by her name ‘Usha’. He also does not refer to any of his 3 children by name (Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel). And most importantly, he doesn’t acknowledge himself as his daughter's/sons' father. All three of these are significant distancing behaviors.”

The comment sparked further discussion, with some users interpreting Vance’s wording as reflective of deeper issues. A netizen penned, “I’ve always suspected this has something to do with the base and their rejection of Black and brown people.” Another raised concerns over the Senator's approach to family roles, arguing, "Throughout this campaign, JD Vance has repeatedly referred to his children as belonging to his wife and implies it’s her responsibility to care for them. This patriarchal and anachronistic parenting model is exactly what he will try to force on America if elected."

As the comments poured in, an X user suggested that Vance’s language had abusive undertones. They opined, “He makes my skin crawl. As a survivor of abuse, I feel like I can sense dangerous and unstable people like my abusers. My warning light goes off whenever I see him speak.” Another wrote, "The kind of man that OWNS his wife. The family serves merely to give the image [that] he is a family man."

Vance’s wife, Usha, a Yale graduate and former litigator, has been a public figure alongside her husband throughout his political career. Despite her Hindu faith, Usha attends Catholic services with Vance, a point he mentioned in the interview. “She is more than okay with it,” Vance assured. Usha has also defended her husband through his campaign, dismissing some of his controversial comments as exaggerated or taken out of context.