Netflix’s drama film ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ chronicles the early life of J.D. Vance and his tumultuous relationship with his mother, Beverly “Bev” Vance, and grandmother, Bonnie “Mamaw” Vance. Bev looks after J.D. while dealing with a myriad of personal issues, ranging from the death of her father to the subsequent drug addiction. Her substance abuse makes her son find comfort and security with Mamaw, who raises the boy, filling in the shoes of her daughter. In real life, Bev eventually turned her life around by making significant decisions concerning her addiction. Years after J.D.’s upbringing, she is cherishing her life with her family around!
Beverly “Bev” Vance: A Young Mother in a Challenging World
Beverly “Bev” Vance was born as the second of the three children of Bonnie and Jim Vance Sr. Like J.D. Vance, she also had to deal with a turbulent childhood. Jim, who is described by the politician as a “violent drunk,” used to unleash chaos within the household, affecting the lives of Bev and her siblings. While growing up, J.D.’s mother was a bright student. However, an early pregnancy changed her life. “She [Bev] was a promising student, but when she got pregnant at eighteen, she decided college had to wait. After high school, she married her boyfriend and tried to settle down,” the politician wrote in his memoir, ‘Hillbilly Elegy, the source text of the film.
Bev’s efforts to form a family didn’t work out well. She filed for divorce after “her new life developed the same fighting and drama” that made her childhood terrible, as per J.D.’s book. At the age of nineteen, Bev was a single mother who had to look after her daughter, Lindsay. Meanwhile, Mamaw and Papaw tried their best to help her. In addition to lending money and assisting with childcare, her parents supported her rehabilitation and funded her nursing school costs. She married again in 1983. The next year, she and her husband, Don Bowman, welcomed J.D. to their world. The harmony of the family didn’t last long, as the couple divorced while their son was in kindergarten.
Bev then married Bob Hamel, who drove a truck for a living. During this time, she bonded with J.D. over football. Her relationship with Bob eventually was immersed in fights. After the family moved to Preble County from Middletown, Ohio, marital conflicts defined their lives. There were instances when Bev had to take her two children to a motel to hide them. According to J.D.’s memoir, his mother even tried to kill herself while she was married to Bob, especially after the latter discovered his wife’s affair with a local fireman.
Bev Sought Comfort in Drugs After Jim’s Death
After Bev and Bob’s marriage fell apart, she returned to Middletown. Her relationship with her children changed drastically during this period. “Despite the return to a familiar home, Mom’s behavior grew increasingly erratic. She was more roommate than a parent, and of the three of us—Mom, Lindsay, and me—Mom was the roommate most prone to hard living,” wrote J.D. in ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’ The scene in the film in which the young boy calls the cops to stop his mother from hurting him also happened around this time. Realizing that her grandson wouldn’t lead a good life under the care of her daughter, Mamaw became J.D.’s guardian and even asked Bev to “talk” to the former’s gun’s barrel if she had a problem with it.
Even though Bev was able to retain J.D.’s custody, the latter usually lived with Mamaw. When her father, Jim Vance, died, she stooped into drug addiction. The consumption of the same started with taking legitimate prescription narcotics, but it escalated with her “stealing from her patients and getting so high that turning an emergency room into a skating rink seemed like a good idea,” as per J.D.’s memoir. She was then admitted to the Cincinnati Center for Addiction Treatment for rehabilitation. Since then, Bev dealt with substance abuse on and off. During the same period, she shared her life with men named Matt and Ken, who briefly appear in ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’
Bev’s Recovery From Addiction
Bev finally turned her life around after J.D. joined Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut. After she started using drugs again, her son had to return to Middletown from New Haven to help her. The meeting was the start of a long recovery process for the politician’s mother. After a 12-step program, she was able to start a new chapter of her sober life. Bev also started working as a housecleaner and bookkeeper in Middletown, not far away from her grandchildren. She is currently employed by Seacrest Recovery Center, based in Cincinnati. She has expressed how she loves her company and their mission. She also worked at Lumiere Healing Centers in West Chester, Ohio.
By the time J.D. published ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ Bev and her life had changed immensely. “[…] my mom is healthier and happier than she’s been in a very long time,” the politician wrote in a 2018 afterword to the memoir. When Ron Howard was making ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ based on J.D.’s memoir, she met with Glenn Close, who plays Mamaw, and Amy Adams, who portrays her. “I think when I’m playing somebody who you know is out there that is going to see this, I’m glad that you can see deeper than just the mistakes that [Bev has] made because that was something that was really important to me,” Adams told EW about portraying J.D.’s mother.
Bev is Celebrating Her Nine-Year Sobriety With Her Family Today
On January 19, 2024, Bev celebrated nine years of sobriety. “Thanks to my higher power, NA, my family, and my friends [whom] I choose to call family, we celebrate 9 years clean and sober today. God is good,” she shared at the time. Her grandchildren are an integral part of her current life. In addition to the kids of her firstborn, Lindsay, she also formed a bond with J.D.’s family. After his first son, Ewan, was born, the politician was able to experience a new dimension of his relationship with Bev.
“He [Ewan] is a spunky, goofy baby, and he’s given Mom [Bev] and me something to bond over. Watching her with him and seeing how much she loves him has only accelerated the process I described toward the end of Hillbilly Elegy—of replacing resentment with sympathy and understanding,” J.D. wrote in the 2018 afterword to his memoir. Bev doesn’t forget to express how proud she is about J.D. However, she chooses to stay away from the political discourse involving him.
“I refuse to talk politics with anyone. I have republican friends, and I have democrat friends. My son is very verbal in his opinion. I love him with everything in me. Please, do not text me, call me, or message me with anything political. Do not verbally attack my child in any of the above-mentioned manners. I will not engage in a debate or conversation. Have a nice day. Thank you,” Bev shared in June 2024. Her stand is more relevant than ever now as he has been named as the Vice President nominee of the Republican Party in the 2024 election.
Even though Bev had to suffer a lot for decades, she has a steady life now. She is not only taking care of herself but also spreading joy in the lives of her friends, who spend time with her now and then. More than anything, she is a beloved mother and grandmother who earned her place in her family with the changes she brought to her life.
Read More: Hillbilly Elegy Ending, Explained
