No, that wasn’t a scene from “Modern Family” that didn’t make it into the show’s Disneyland episode. The clip of a man running after his child at the theme park was none other than the vice president, and yes, JD Vance has since been dubbed “JD Prance” by social media users.
Record scratch, freeze frame, because you’re probably wondering how we got here. ICYMI, JD, Usha Vance, and their rarely-seen children headed to Disneyland in mid-July 2025. Suffice it to say, the family didn’t exactly slip under the radar, and in addition to protests outside, a number of social media users filmed the second family inside the park, too. That said, one video reigned supreme, because when JD ran after one of his kids, he was giving major Cameron Tucker energy. You know, from the aforementioned “Modern Family” episode, which featured a montage of Tucker chasing after his and Mitchell Pritchett’s daughter, Lily Tucker-Pritchett. Naturally, not everyone was thrilled with the comparisons. “How dare you disrespect such a great amazing man … CAM IS ONE OF THE BEST DAMN THINGS ABOUT MODERN FAMILY!” one Instagram user wrote. “Don’t you DARE insult Cam like that. He is a TREASURE!!” quipped another.
“Modern Family” references aside, countless social media users took to the web to poke fun at JD’s not-especially-alpha-male running style, given his own obsession with masculinity. “This is the ‘alpha male’ MAGA keeps telling us about? Really?” joked Harry Sisson on X, formerly known as Twitter. Others still poked fun at the never-ending rumors that JD wears eyeliner. “Is there an eyeliner sale?” they wrote. Suffice it to say, at least for JD’s detractors, the video was the gift that just kept on giving.
Some weren’t amused by the jokes at JD’s expense
As is often the case in our divided world, not everyone was amused by all the jokes. Quite the contrary, many of JD Vance’s supporters — and even some non-fans — called out the quips made at the vice president’s expense.
“To a normal person, this looks like a dad running uphill in a theme park to his young children. Lamest scandal ever,” wrote one X user. “As much as I don’t like him and this administration I do NOT understand this being made a big joke. I think he hesitated at first and then ran up the rocks to check his kids … Pretty silly & petty!” wrote another. Others were a little more upset. “This is a dad being a dad. That’s about as alpha as you can get,” one X user snapped. Others complained that those who were poking fun at the video were “triggered.”
TBH, JD was running after his kids, and we don’t even begrudge him that. However, we’re also not shocked by all the “JD Prance” jokes (or the Cameron Tucker quips, because there’s no question that the character was a super protective father, too). As for JD himself, he hasn’t addressed his awkward Disneyland jog. Might that have something to do with him trying to save face after previously saying at a rally, “Can we all just take a chill pill and take a joke from time to time?” (via NBC News). We wouldn’t rule it out. Then again, if he wasn’t amused, maybe he took another pearl of wisdom he shared at the same rally. “You know what I do when I think a joke is dumb or not funny? I don’t laugh,” he’d said.
