'Pack It Up, Usha': JD Vance-Erika Kirk's 'Claws In Hair' Hug Has Netizens Screaming Divorce

Last Updated:November 01, 2025, 10:44 IST

JD Vance’s hug with Erika Kirk went viral, with netizens claiming his public remarks hoping wife Usha would convert were setting the stage for a possible divorce.

Erika Kirk and US Vice President JD Vance embrace at the Pavilion at Ole Miss on the campus of the University of Mississippi on October 29, 2025 in Oxford, Mississippi. (IMAGE: AFP)

JD Vance, the US Vice President, may have just handed the internet its next obsession. A viral clip shows him sharing an intimate hug with Erika Kirk, widow of recently assassinated conservative figure Charlie Kirk, at the Pavilion at Ole Miss on the University of Mississippi campus on October 29, 2025, with Erika’s hand resting in Vance’s hair.

The closeness, combined with Erika’s glowing words about seeing Charlie in JD, has sent social media into overdrive, igniting rampant speculation: is Vance, already under fire from white supremacists over his Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri, being nudged into a divorce?

Vance’s marriage to Usha has long made him a target for far-right figures. Avowed white supremacist Nick Fuentes last year attacked Vance, linking his Indian wife to what Fuentes called the “systematic replacement of White people" in America and Europe. On a podcast, Fuentes repeated rhetoric associated with the racist “great replacement theory," claiming he did not expect “the guy who has an Indian wife" to “support White identity."

The speculation intensified after Vance came under scrutiny at the same event on Wednesday when an Indian-origin student asked him about his hardline stance on immigration and religion, given his wife’s Hindu background.

Vance, who converted from evangelical Protestantism to Catholicism in 2019, said, “Do I hope, eventually, that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved in by church? Yeah, honestly, I do wish that, because I believe in the Christian gospel and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way."

He appeared to hedge, adding, “If she doesn’t, God says everybody has free will," but online sleuths are connecting the dots fast, imagining a scenario where Erika steps in and Usha steps out.

Some social media users have gone full speculative, linking the moment to future political theatre.

“I’m telling y’all: as soon as that White House ballroom is done, he’ll announce a divorce, be engaged to the widow Kirk three months later, and have a big ole White House wedding," joked RaMina Anderson on Instagram, as videos of the hug went viral across left-leaning influencer pages.

US President Donald Trump has unveiled a plan to construct a 90,000‑square‑foot ballroom, replacing the historic East Wing of the White House. The project, announced in July 2025 and valued between $200 million and $300 million, is set to begin construction in September and aims to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2029.

Netizens dissected the body language of Vance and Erika Kirk, noting the hand-in-hair gesture as a signal of intimacy. “Hands in the hair is wild. I’m a hugger and never touch a man’s head. Fingers entwined in his hair is wildly sexual," wrote Shanique Harris. Influencer Jon Gear added, “Pack it up, Usha! The claws in the hair, that’s crazy! Uh, Usha, you had a good shot, girl but…"

Erika Kirk’s choice of words before introducing Vance fueled further speculation. Tim Grout wrote, “Too bad you didn’t show the beginning of this clip because she says how good of a friend he is and has a HUGE smile on her face and then she says ‘…and his wife…’ and that smile instantly disappears into basically a scowl. JD and her are totally going to end up together. It’s so easy to see and that hug with the hand on his head said it all."

Kirk had said, “No one will replace Charlie but I see some similarities in JD Vance," while also noting, “He and his wife are incredible." Her remarks and the physical intimacy captured on video has left social media speculating wildly about the future of JD Vance’s marriage.

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se...Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se...

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News viral 'Pack It Up, Usha': JD Vance-Erika Kirk's 'Claws In Hair' Hug Has Netizens Screaming Divorce

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