JD Vance Did Not Claim to Have Sex with Couch Cushions

Claim:

JD Vance wrote in his 2016 memoir about having sex with “an inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions.”

Rating:

False

On July 15, 2024, X user @rickrudescalves posted a claim that Republican U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio wrote in his 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” about thrusting his penis into “an inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions.” This post emerged on the same day former U.S. President Donald Trump announced Vance as his 2024 vice-presidential running mate.

The user’s post read, “can’t say for sure but he might be the first vp pick to have admitted in a ny times bestseller to f***ing an inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions (vance, hillbilly elegy, pp. 179-181).”

This rumor was false. Vance’s memoir contained no such passage. Further, as KnowYourMeme.com reported, @rickrudescalves — who later protected his account so only followers could see his posts — “signaled that he was joking when he followed up the tweet with the Go on the Internet and Tell Lies meme.”

Even though the rumor about Vance and couch cushions was false, some users still shared the claim as if it were true.

For example, one X user posted on July 17, “On pages 179-81 Hillbilly Elegy, JD Vance talks about f***ing an inside out latex glove between two couch cushions. I’m so glad that this is coming from the guy who claims he’s all about family values.”

Another X user posted, “Wait a minute…. JD Vance f***ed his couch? And then wrote about it?!”

A third X user posted, “Did JD Vance f*** a couch? And why is this rumor so believable?”

As KnowYourMeme.com noted, the false rumor about Vance having sex with a latex glove and couch cushions also spawned numerous jokes, memes, and videos.

For example, one X user posted a video supposedly showing Vance fantasizing about the gap between numerous couch cushions. The sound for the video featured Barry White’s song “Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up.”

Another X user joked, “People are acting like JD Vance is the only one who ever shoved a plastic glove between the couch cushions, f***ed it, and then wrote about the experience before.”

An X user posted an altered cover of Vance’s memoir, adding a picture of a couch alongside the changed title: “Pushin’ Cushion: A Memoir of a Love that Fit the Creases.”

In another post, an X user said, “Whatever you do, don’t tell JD Vance about this couch,” including a picture of a couch intended to be suggestive.

Other memes featured South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, a variation of the Distracted Boyfriend meme and Beavis from the cartoon series “Beavis and Butt-Head,” just to name a few.

Sources:

Colvin, Jill, et al. “Trump Picks Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, a Once-Fierce Critic Turned Loyal Ally, as His GOP Running Mate.” The Associated Press , 15 July 2024, https://apnews.com/article/trump-vice-president-vance-rubio-burgum-rnc-6cc438a8370a21b2631f5a53b06b71d0

“Distracted Boyfriend.” Know Your Meme , 22 Aug. 2017, https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/distracted-boyfriend

“Do You Really Think Someone Would Do That? | Just Go On The Internet and Tell Lies.” Know Your Meme , 1 Nov. 2012, https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/428075-just-go-on-the-internet-and-tell-lies

Google Books. https://books.google.com/

Vance, JD. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis . HarperCollins Publishers, 2016.