Mother's Day: Revisiting JD Vance's complex relationship with his mother Beverly

JD Vance ’s turbulent childhood shaped the man who has now become the US Vice President. Raised in the struggling town of Middletown, Ohio, Vance’s early years were marked by instability, addiction, and emotional trauma. His mother, Beverly, battled drug dependency and cycled through multiple relationships, leaving young JD caught in a whirlwind of chaos. His biological father walked out when he was a toddler, and as his mother’s substance abuse worsened, Vance found solace and safety with his maternal grandparents, whom he later credited for saving his life. On this Mother’s Day, Vance’s story offers a stark reminder of the long shadow cast by a difficult upbringing and the resilience it takes to rise beyond it.

Born in 1984 in Middletown, Ohio, Vance was raised in a turbulent home. His mother, Beverly, became a nurse and had two children Lindsay in 1979 and JD, originally named James Donald Bowman, five years later. When Vance was still a toddler, his father, Donald Bowman, left the family. By age six, his parents were officially divorced, and Vance was left in the sole care of a mother battling serious substance abuse issues.





Beverly’s access to prescription medication at work led to a deepening addiction that eventually included heroin. Her personal struggles often created chaos at home, with allegations of emotional abuse and instability. In his bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy , Vance recounts harrowing experiences, including being in a car as his mother threatened to crash it with him inside. At age 12, Beverly was arrested during one particularly frightening episode, prompting Vance to reflect later, “I just felt relieved … I thought to myself, ‘Alright, I’m going to live another day.’”

‘Mamaw’ and ‘Papaw’ – A refuge amid chaos

Eventually, Vance was placed in the care of his maternal grandparents, Bonnie and Jim Vance. Despite their own troubled history marked by violence, alcoholism, and domestic dysfunction they provided him with the safety and guidance he so desperately needed. Bonnie, or ‘Mamaw’, became his fiercest protector. In one speech, Vance fondly recalled her keeping nineteen loaded handguns hidden throughout the house. "That's who we fight for, that's the American spirit," he told the crowd at the Republican National Convention, where he accepted the vice-presidential nomination.



Vance credits his grandparents, both union Democrats, with shaping his values and helping him rise from a chaotic upbringing to become a Yale Law graduate, bestselling author, and now, vice president. He later took his grandparents’ surname, Vance, after multiple name changes during his mother’s string of marriages; she was married five times in total. One stepfather, Bob Hamel, even renamed him James David Hamel in an attempt to maintain the “JD” initials.

Although Vance’s father briefly re-entered his life during his teenage years, their bond was minimal. The elder Bowman even criticised his son's love for classic rock, encouraging Christian music instead. Vance would later convert to Catholicism, getting baptised in 2019.

In speeches, Vance often invokes his mother, saying, “Our movement is about single mums like mine who struggled with money and addiction but never gave up.”

Now sober for over a decade, Beverly Aikins found unexpected recognition through her son’s memoir, Hillbilly Elegy , and its subsequent film adaptation starring Amy Adams. While their relationship remains complicated, Vance acknowledges her struggles, even as he continues to honour the grandparents who rescued him.