JD Vance under fire after laughing at profanities on Fox News
Vice President JD Vance is under fire after laughing along with a crude joke while promoting his new faith memoir on Fox News. RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The controversy deepened later in the evening when the veep joked that he would be “killed or ineligible” if he responded to another comment about sexuality.
Vance’s new book, Communion: finding my way back to faithwas published by HarperCollins on June 16.
The 41-year-old Republican has described the memoir as a deeply personal account of his conversion to Catholicism after spending years as an atheist.
While appearing as a guest co-host on The FiveVance told Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino and Jessica Tarlov: “I have to say, look, I’ve been on the show for half an hour. This is appropriate, it’s about faith and religion. Y’all need Jesus! That’s my takeaway after 30 minutes.”
The vice president spent much of the hour discussing the economy, Iran and other priorities of Donald Trump’s administration, while also promoting the recently released book.
The controversy erupted at the end of the program during the show’s “One More Thing” segment.
After noting that it was National Fudge Day, Watters introduced a cake prepared for Vance and joked, “We have pickle cake here, dozens of layers of creamy green frosting.”
He then added: “I was going to do fudge [cake]because it’s National Fudge Day for the VP, but I thought it would be too gay, so I made pickle cake instead.
“I’m not sure I have it right,” Watters continued.
Vance seemed amused by the comment and laughed before thanking the Fox News host for the cake.
However, Watters sparked criticism online because his comment appeared to reference a crude homophobic slur historically aimed at gay men.
“He didn’t have to say or do any of that. (What) is wrong with him?’ an online critic asked about Watters after the comment.
The awkward moments didn’t stop there. Later that evening, Vance appeared on Gutfeld’s Fox News show as part of his ongoing book tour.
During a discussion about Trump’s reported peace deal with Iran, Gutfeld referenced rumors surrounding the country’s supreme leader and asked, “We’re looking at this new deal, VP, and I’m wondering: Did we sign the deal because the new Ayatollah is gay and we wanted to focus on Pride Month?”
Vance threw his head back with a laugh before replying, “I’m glad I decided to ruin my political career by spending an hour here. If I answer that, I will be killed or I will be ineligible.”
As the clip circulated online, more critics called out the vice president’s behavior.
One user said: “Vance is annoying. I’m sick of seeing him,” while another added: “The fakest smile I’ve ever seen.”
The Fox News controversy also put a spotlight on Vance’s past comments on LGBTQ+ issues. Vance has repeatedly drawn criticism for his views on marriage and transgender rights.
Since joining the Trump administration, the vice president has opposed the Respect for Marriage Act, the bipartisan legislation introduced to protect same-sex marriage.
“Most Americans, I don’t think, really care about same-sex marriage,” Vance said Business insider in 2024.
