US News

Mother of JD Vance Shares Her Drug Addiction Story to Inspire Recovering ‘Out Loud’

Aikins, whose struggle with drugs was chronicled in Vance’s memoir, ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ travels the country speaking at addiction recovery events.
Mother of JD Vance Shares Her Drug Addiction Story to Inspire Recovering ‘Out Loud’
Beverly Aikins, the mother of Vice President JD Vance, shares her addiction recovery story at an event in Greenfield, Ohio, on Aug. 30, 2025. Jeff Louderback/The Epoch Times
Jeff Louderback
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GREENFIELD, Ohio—Far from the pomp and grandeur of sharing the stage with her son, Vice President JD Vance, at President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, Beverly Aikins was standing alone on a modest wooden platform in a rural southern Ohio village in the Appalachian foothills.

Microphone in hand, she was sharing her story of recovering from addiction. At the Aug. 30 event, people from all walks of life spoke about overcoming similar battles.

Jeff Louderback
Jeff Louderback
Reporter
Jeff Louderback covers major news and politics, including the Make America Healthy Again movement and regenerative farming. Since joining The Epoch Times in 2022, he has covered national elections, the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential campaign, the East Palestine train derailment, and the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. Jeff has 30-plus years of professional experience as a reporter, editor, and author.