Well, he did it again. Vice President JD Vance is back in the headlines. Not for policy, not for diplomacy, but for opening his mouth about dating apps and accidentally summoning the wildest, most un-killable rumor of his political career. The couch rumor.
During a recent interview with The New York Times, Vance aired his grievances about modern dating culture, saying, “Dating apps are probably more destructive than we fully appreciate.” He went on to lament how technology is making it “harder for young men and young women to communicate,” which, in his view, is why people aren’t dating, marrying, or starting families anymore.
Harmless hot take? Not when you’re JD Vance.
He wants them to date the couch instead? 🤷♂️
— Clint Szigety (@Cli14171Clint) May 21, 2025
Within minutes, X (formerly Twitter) exploded. And the outburst was not with agreement or debate, but with a flood of memes, GIFs, and jokes that dragged the infamous “couch” rumor right back into public consciousness.
“Of course he doesn’t want people using dating apps, he’d rather they just f*** their couches like he did,” one user fired off. “No I think he’s suggesting the couch pillow” another wrote, followed by South Park GIFs, Arthur memes, and a whole thread of cushion-related innuendos.
The hilarious remarks don’t stop here. Another comment read, “You should go out there and the real world and meet your dream couch the old-fashioned way.” However, not all the comments were regarding the couch. One user went offboard and said, “Trying to keep his wife from seeing his accounts.”
But the VP got lucky, there were some feedbacks that supported him. One comment read, “Finally something I agree with JD Vance on. Never thought that would happen.”
Bless whoever came up with the JD Vance/couch rumor. It may have saved us all. pic.twitter.com/0kPukq3f9i
— Massive Document 🇵🇸 (@hope_terror) August 7, 2024
For the uninitiated (and lucky), the bizarre rumor originated during the 2024 election cycle when a user joked that Vance had once detailed an intimate encounter with a couch in his memoir Hillbilly Elegy. The viral tweet claimed he used “an inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions.” Wild, right?
To be clear, it was a joke.
Even the user who posted it replied with a screenshot of Arthur’s Buster saying, “You really think someone would do that? Just go on the internet and tell lies?” Still, the internet being the internet, the joke grew legs and ran straight into meme history.
It gained such traction that the Associated Press published a fact-check headlined, “No, JD Vance Did Not Have Sex With a Couch.” But when the AP retracted the article citing “improper vetting,” the damage was already done. Suddenly, the fake fact-check became part of the legend, and the legend became… well, something Vance is clearly never going to live down.
A spokesperson for the AP tells me this story didn’t go through the wire service’s standard editing process, and the AP is looking into how it was published. The spokesperson also emphasizes that the piece did not go out on the wire to AP customers. https://t.co/Rk4TbnYYSB
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) July 25, 2024
Even Hollywood couldn’t resist. Haley Joel Osment spoofed the rumor in a Jimmy Kimmel Live parody, portraying Vance as a smug VP with a questionable relationship to his furniture. And during a campaign stop, Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz couldn’t help but jab, “I can’t wait to debate the guy — that is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up. See what I did there?”
And now, thanks to Vance’s take on the state of dating apps, the couch jokes are back in full force, like clockwork, like karma, like a creaky spring from a well-worn sectional.
At this point, it seems JD Vance can’t mention anything even remotely related to relationships, furniture, or domestic life without becoming a trending topic. It hasn’t been days that he went through massive criticism regarding his interaction with the Pope. Now, we have another jab at him coming sharp!
Looks like. JD Vance and the couch rumor are, tragically, inseparable.
And judging by the reactions this week, the internet wouldn’t have it any other way.
Scroll below to catch some glimpses of the VP.
The VP has been under fire lately for his too familiar attitude with the Pope. A user wrote on X, “He’s not your drinking buddy.”
The beautiful second family visited India for a short trip.
JD Vance had a challenging childhood due to his mother’s devastating drug addiction. They share a warm bond now.
