Back in 2020, filmmaker Ron Howard teamed up with JD Vance, who at the time was working in venture capital, to bring Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy to the big screen. The book, which came out in 2016, had already made Vance well-known, and the movie adaptation added even more attention.
Howard, however, doesn’t seem too interested in tying the film to politics, especially now that Vance is the Vice President under Donald Trump. When asked in an interview what he thinks about the film’s legacy, Howard kept his answer short. He said he doesn’t spend much time thinking about it, admitting the reviews were rough but that many regular audiences seemed to like it more.
The interviewer then pushed further, asking Howard if he could connect the man he knew while making the film to the politician Vance has since become. Howard admitted that he finds Vance’s political rise surprising. He said he didn’t expect Vance to take such a divisive tone in his speeches and added that he doesn’t really follow Vance’s every move now.
This attempt to keep politics at arm’s length didn’t sit well with everyone online. Some people on X (formerly Twitter) criticized Howard for dodging the issue, especially since Vance is now the vice president. A few commenters accused him of being too passive, saying that he should take a stronger stance instead of brushing the subject aside.
The criticism also connects to the broader picture: the entertainment industry has already felt the impact of Trump-era politics. For example, CBS abruptly canceled The Late Show not long after Stephen Colbert criticized Trump, and Trump himself has threatened various entertainers like Joy Behar, Jimmy Kimmel, and even Beyoncé.
Still, Howard shared a little more about Vance that had nothing to do with politics. He explained that Vance was upset when critics panned Hillbilly Elegy, because Vance felt that his own reputation had negatively influenced how people judged the film. Howard also admitted that Vance’s later Senate run, and the strategy he used in that campaign, were not what he would have expected from the man he once worked closely with.
Despite the political divide, Howard did reach out to Vance once after the 2024 election. He sent him a short message wishing him well and encouraging him to serve the country responsibly.
