Like most vice presidents, JD Vance is in a pretty weird position. On paper, he’s just a heartbeat away from becoming the most powerful man in the world: should Donald Trump die (or, less likely, be impeached), Vance will assume the highest office in the land. Until then, though, there’s not really much for him to do other than get in front of the cameras and defend Trump’s latest antics.
Unfortunately for Vance, being in front of cameras all the time has led to more than a few memes. Early on, the most viral one of these was the “fat JD Vance meme” which poked fun at the VP for being a bit chubby. He lost weight after that, prompting rumors that he began using Ozempic. Now, the latest pics of the vice president have put the Ozempic rumor mill into overdrive. What’s fueling these rumors, and just how has JD Vance transformed his appearance? Keep reading to find out!
The meme that took the internet by storm
To understand the memes about JD Vance losing weight with Ozempic, you need to go back to when he was first chosen as Donald Trump’s running mate. The duo generated plenty of memes, and most internet users focused on Trump. That’s no surprise: he was a controversy magnet during his first presidential administration and had spent the entirety of Joe Biden’s presidency making headlines thanks to his various rants across social media. But it didn’t take the internet long to develop a very special meme for the future vice president.
That meme was, of course, fat JD Vance. You’ve almost certainly seen the image…it makes Vance look morbidly obese, with a smiling face and bright, slightly empty eyes. It’s a captivating image, but its creation was rooted in a bit of predictable cruelty. You see, when Vance first entered politics, many joked that he was slightly chubby. The meme takes that chubbiness to the next level, making the vice president look far fatter than he actually was.
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Origin of the original Ozempic rumors
By the time JD Vance became Donald Trump’s running mate, he had lost a noticeable amount of weight. Specifically, he lost around 30 pounds. Some felt that he did so simply to lose weight and set a good example for the rest of the country (obesity is a major epidemic throughout America). Other, more cynical people thought that Vance lost weight in order to make himself (and, therefore, Donald Trump) that much more electable.
Regardless of why he lost weight, the internet quickly fixated on how he did it. Losing 30 pounds isn’t easy, and some think Vance had a little help doing so. Even back in 2024, there were persistent rumors that Donald Trump’s running mate had used Ozempic to shed those unwanted pounds. However, Vance categorically denied these rumors, telling the Daily Mail that “I haven’t taken any drugs. Obviously, you eat a little bit less, but it’s also just eating better.”
New pics of JD Vance created new Ozempic rumors
Rumors about JD Vance using Ozempic go all the way back to 2024. Now, though, those rumors are hotter than ever before. What is it that put the rumor mill into overdrive? New media appearances, of course! For example, Vance was recently interviewed by YouTuber Benny Johnson. Afterward, nobody on the internet was talking about the substance of their conversation. Instead, they were talking about how Vance looks much thinner than he had at any point in 2025 or earlier.
After Vance’s interview with Johnson, users on X and other social media platforms began speculating that the vice president had used Ozempic to get even thinner than before. Soon enough, those same users began swapping images like the one above, where you can see Vance in 2022 and Vance in 2026. Looking at the two images, it’s undeniable that the man has lost plenty of weight. However, there is no definitive proof he has used Ozempic, and he may have simply continued the weight loss journey he began back in 2024.
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The meme icon is here to stay
The first viral JD Vance meme made him look comically overweight. Now that the vice president has lost so much weight, you might expect him to fall out of the internet’s crosshairs. Unfortunately for Vance, that didn’t happen. Now, instead of swapping memes about him being fat and hungry, social media users are swapping memes about him being thin and on Ozempic!
Is this bad news for Vance? Not necessarily: being a politician is now like being a celebrity, and the worst thing that can happen to a celebrity is being forgotten. These memes (even the mean ones) ensure that nobody forgets who JD Vance is. And no matter his weight, he’s still achieved one of the highest political offices in America. Not bad for a guy who only got famous for writing a messy memoir about his life!