Jack Schlossberg’s online posts about a supposed child and an unexpected connection to the Vice President’s wife have sparked public reaction and widespread criticism.

Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy, drew criticism online this week after sharing a series of posts that culminated in a joke involving Vice President J. D. Vance’s wife, Usha Vance.

The controversy began when Schlossberg took to X on April 6, 2025, writing, “I’m having a son !! So excited about this. Cannot wait for the birth of my next child because today was the best day of my life. Out of wedlock, yes. But we might get married.”

He also reposted the same message to Instagram, including a caption that read, “We named Jason Schlossberg ! 5 lbs 0 ounces. April 6, 2025.” Shortly after, Schlossberg escalated the joke by sharing a digitally manipulated image on Instagram.

The photo showed Usha Vance holding a baby, but the child’s face had been replaced with an edited version of Schlossberg’s adult face, partially obscuring the toddler’s head. The caption read, “Little Jason and his mom. You never feel like you’re ready to be a parent. Until one day, you become one.”

The photoshopped image quickly caught the attention of People magazine, which posted a side-by-side collage of Schlossberg and the Vances on Instagram.

Schlossberg then reposted a screenshot of the magazine’s coverage and added his caption. “The joke is that I’m capable of producing a male heir,” he explained.

The posts ignited backlash across social media platforms. One netizen on X wrote, “Such a troll, his grandfather would be ashamed…” Another comment read, “You’re an embarrassment.” A third urged, “Delete this, and get help.”

Commenters on Instagram echoed the outrage. One said, “I believe he owes Mrs. Vance an apology for saying such a spiteful thing.” A Facebooker wrote, “No class. Why would someone say this? [sic],” while another labeled the post “SICK and very disrespectful.”

While this incident marked the most public reaction yet, Schlossberg had previously posted content referencing Vance in a similar tone. On January 20, 2025, he posted to X, “True or false: Usha Vance is way hotter than Jackie O” — referring to his grandmother, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

The next day, he followed up with “I’m a literal pervert. I called my grandmother hot… have I totally lost it? Jesus … this kid will do anything for attention. Your grandfather would be ashamed. Seriously. Time to get a job.”

On March 4, he posted an edited image of Vance appearing to kiss his cheek, captioning it with, “My love my sweet Ushie.”

In a televised interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki, Schlossberg discussed his approach to social media and directly acknowledged his strategy behind posts that target public figures.

Referencing one of his earlier tweets about Vance, he said, “The internet is a place where it’s difficult to break through. Especially if you’re not saying something that’s controversial or at least somehow unexpected.[..] I use my judgment to make posts that I think are funny or silly but have a purpose either to make you think, ‘this guy’s crazy. Why is he talking about his own family that way?'”

He continued, “But to be honest, then you get all these retweets, quotes, and everybody flips out about it — and I think that that’s kind of the game that the other side’s been playing really well, which is flipping people out and getting a reaction is almost half the battle.”

When Psaki pressed him about the deliberate spread of misinformation, Schlossberg replied that he didn’t care. “You can speak to multiple different people at the same time and you can speak to different audiences in different ways like I’m speaking to people who I know will get this joke and think it’s hilarious,” he explained.

“I’m also speaking to the people who I know won’t get it and will take it as bait and those two people are going to interact and they’re going to think it’s funny that some people don’t get it,” he added. “Not every post is going to be hilarious or risky in some way some of them have to be serious and boring but they can’t all be serious and boring.”

He continued, “It’s very important to switch it up and to take risks because I think that’s not only entertaining for me myself as I laugh and post it on my phone but also a good way to signal to people that you’re willing to either fight for them or speak your own mind − if you’re willing to say something that other people might not get or you know might engender a reaction that some people don’t like.”

Asked who his favorite person to troll was, Schlossberg answered, “The hey J. D. videos did pretty good online. But I think my cousin RFK Jr. is a menace.”