Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Ron Howard, ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ is a poignant film that tells the story of a family living in Middletown, Ohio, and their desperate pursuit of the American Dream. Based on the memoir of the same name, penned by J.D. Vance, it follows him as he tries to navigate his dreams and ambitions, all the while maintaining interpersonal relationships.
This, of course, gives rise to complications, especially as his mother has a rapidly deteriorating substance abuse issue. But helping J.D. at every step of the way is his loving grandmother, sister, and then-girlfriend turned wife, Usha. And it’s with their continued support that he’s now Donald Trump’s Vice Presidential candidate in the 2024 election.
J.D. Vance Met His Wife in Law School
Although a native of San Diego, California, Usha Chilukuri Vance is an Indian-American whose family actually immigrated to the U.S. in search of a better life. Yet little did they know she’d ultimately end up enrolling at Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut, only to come across J.D. Vance while organizing a discussion group on “Social Decline in White America.” That’s how they got to know one another and began a relationship based on mutual trust, respect, plus understanding, enabling them to overcome every obstacle that has come their way.
According to reports, Usha was determined to make a name for herself before she ever even stepped foot into Yale Law and connected with J.D., making her just as significant as him. She’d actually earned a Bachelor’s in History from Yale University and a Master’s in Modern History from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar prior to pursuing law. Then, she evolved into an editor for the Yale Law Journal plus Yale Journal of Law & Technology, all the while also participating in participating in various legal clinics as well as the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project at school.
J.D. and Usha Vance Are Happily Married Parents of Three
With her patience, support, and perceiving nature, Usha gradually managed to guide J.D. to a better, more optimistic mindset too. That’s how they were eventually able to leave his Hillbilly ways behind for good, yet she never once pushed him to change his beliefs or values. Therefore, in 2014, around a year following the couple’s graduation from Yale Law School, they blissfully tied the knot in a ceremony that highlighted both their upbringings, religion, plus cultures. Subsequently, so as to be closer to their families, they settled in Ohio to start their married life together.
At that time, per reports, Usha was a Law Clerk for then-Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh. However, in the years since, she and J.D. have pushed each other to reach new heights in both their personal as well as professional lives. In fact, while he is a Senator turned Vice Presidential Candidate at the moment, she actively serves as an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson. Moreover, and more importantly, they are now proud parents of three – they welcomed their firstborn son, Ewan Blaine Vance, in June 2017, followed by another son, Vivek Vance, in February 2020, and finally, Mirabel Rose Vance, in December 2021.
J.D. and Usha Vance Keep Their Private Life Quiet These Days
While J.D. and Usha are extremely proud of where they stand today, they actually prefer to keep the majority of their private experiences on the down low these days for privacy reasons. After all, since their children are merely 7, 4, and nearly three as of writing, they understandably wish to keep them well away from the spotlight and the media, especially considering their public jobs. Nevertheless, we do know they currently reside in the East Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, where they moved in the summer of 2018, after Usha’s Supreme Court clerkship for Chief Justice John Roberts ended, and her husband realized it would be better for them to have a full-time home as he pursued his political ambitions.
It’s imperative to note that while Usha did take some time off to raise their kids, she too soon resumed working so as to focus on her own ambitions, as a result of which she’s still an Associate at the San Francisco plus Washington-based law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson. Furthermore, we should mention that in J.D.’s memoir, he candidly penned that his wife helped him realize he had baggage from his tumultuous upbringing even after all his hard work to seem okay and achieve his dreams. Usha apparently told him he had no idea how to resolve a conflict, and while he never cursed or screamed like his mother, he did tend to withdraw completely. That’s when they recognized they should always have an open line of communication as well as respect so as to not only understand one another’s point of view but also do the best for their family.
As for J.D.’s relationship with his children, while he and Usha have kept them well away from the spotlight, he is not shy about expressing precisely just how much they mean to him. For example, when he had to miss Vivek turning four to be on the Senate floor in February 2024, he publicly wished him a Happy Birthday before expressing, “[he was] 3 years old yesterday but turned 4 today.” He then stated that although he is sad about missing his son’s birthday dinner, Vivek knows “Daddy loves [him] very much,” just to then read aloud the Dr. Seuss book ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go!’ and insert his son’s name into the final verse.
Read More: Where Is J.D. Vance’s Mother Now?
