What Is Usha Vance Thinking?

Plus: Jason Bateman Still Hates Baths

View in browser | Update preferences August 12, 2026 It’s possible to read the headline of this newsletter—which is also the headline of Kate Andersen Brower’s juicy new story about America’s second lady—in two ways. The first: What exactly is going on inside the brain of Usha Vance, a public figure who has morphed herself into the perfect Republican politician’s wife: “present, useful, and almost invisible,” as Kate puts it? The second: What would drive a high-powered liberal lawyer like Usha toward this strange position in the first place? (In other words: What on earth is she thinking?) Kate offers a few convincing potential answers for both readings. Elsewhere, I’ve got a dispatch from a very entertaining live recording of Amy Poehler’s podcast, and Rebecca Ford has a wide-ranging conversation with another Emmy nominee: Jason Bateman, recognized in four distinct categories this year for his work on two different shows. More tomorrow! HILLARY BUSIS, FEATURES EDITOR What Is Usha Vance Thinking? BY KATE ANDERSEN BROWER “It’s patronizing to say that she’s been silenced,” one Yale Law classmate says of JD Vance’s wife, who has perfected the art of knowing where she stands in the Trump administration’s political pecking order. “She has chosen this.”… Read more Why this ad? Get more as a subscriber Exclusive offer with Vanity Fair: Subscribe to get 1-month free START YOUR FREE TRIAL Culture Watch LITTLE GOLD MEN Jason Bateman Still Hates Baths, but Loves Playing Messy Men BY REBECCA FORD The actor, who’s up for four Emmys this year—for DTF St. Louis and Black Rabbit—talks to VF about playing screw-ups and why cohosting SmartLess has been the “easiest yet most lucrative” work of his career… Read more PODCAST Amy Poehler Shows What It Takes to Be a Good Hang BY HILLARY BUSIS D’Arcy Carden, William Jackson Harper, and Abbi Jacobson dropped by for a live recording as warm as an episode of Parks and Recreation… Read more Why this ad? From the Archive Stealing Mona Lisa BY THOMAS HOOBLER & DOROTHY HOOBLER The shocking theft of the Mona Lisa, in August 1911, appeared to have been solved 28 months later, when the painting was recovered. From the May 2009 issue, the authors suggest that the audacious heist concealed a perfect—and far more lucrative—crime… In Case You Missed It Meghan Markle’s Accessory Nod to Princess Diana The Duchess of Sussex doesn’t miss an opportunity to pay tribute to her late mother-in-law.   MORE FROM VANITY FAIR HOLLYWOOD ARTS & CULTURE POLITICS STYLE ROYALS This e-mail was sent to you by VANITY FAIR. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2026. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.