A Norwegian tourist named Mads Mikkelsen (no relation to the Danish actor) has claimed that a meme showing a bald, chubby version of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance contributed to him being barred from entering the U.S. when immigration officials at Newark Airport in New Jersey allegedly found it on his phone.

Mikkelsen's claim has reignited interest in the so-called "Bald J.D. Vance" meme, which came into existence late last year, during a flurry of Photoshop edits that warped the former Republican VP candidate.

The memes went mainstream after he and President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, culminating in Vance acknowledging the trend in a viral tweet posted in March.

This story coming out of Norway adds to the ongoing history of these J.D. Vance memes, but what's going on exactly? Who is Mads Mikkelsen? What is he claiming, and where did the "Bald J.D. Vance" meme come from? Let's explain.

Where Did The 'Bald J.D. Vance' Meme Come From?

The original edit was shared by a Twitter / X user back in October 2024. The tweet received a whopping 137,000 likes in eight months.

It showed a screenshot of an unfinished FaceApp edit, which altered J.D. Vance's face from a still captured in the 2024 vice presidential debate, when Vance faced off against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

In the doctored image, Vance is given a bald head and chubby cheeks, staring directly at the viewer in front of a blue background.

What's With The Photoshop Edits Of J.D. Vance's Face?

The "Bald J.D. Vance" meme is just one of many edits of the U.S. Vice President, which have flooded social media over the past several months.

The trend started in October 2024, a few days before the "Bald J.D. Vance" edit, when Republican Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia posted a doctored photograph of J.D. Vance on his X account that gave Vance a chiseled jaw and sharper cheekbones, like a quintessential "Chad."

Collins' post sparked viral reactions on the app. "Babe, wake up," one X user tweeted, "a sitting congressman just yassified J.D. Vance."

The edits devolved over time, especially after Vance took office in 2025. His official Vice Presidential portrait sparked notable edits and a series of babyface versions of Vance built on the bald image from the year before.

The trend became so pervasive that some internet users claimed that they lost the VP's true appearance in their minds. "I have completely forgotten what the real JD Vance looks like at this point," wrote one X user amid the trend.

Who Is Norwegian Tourist Mads Mikkelsen And What Is He Claiming?

On Monday, June 23rd, 2025, the Norwegian news outlet Nordlys published an article about 21-year-old Norwegian Mads Mikkelsen, who claimed that he was stopped by immigration officials at Newark Airport in New Jersey when he arrived in the U.S.

Mikkelsen claimed that he was questioned by them "about drug trafficking, terrorist plots and right-wing extremism," according to an English language report by the Daily Beast.

Further, Mikkelsen alleged that the officials requested to search his phone, and when they did, they highlighted a photo of a homemade wooden pipe and the famous "Bald J.D. Vance" meme.

"Both pictures had been automatically saved to my camera roll from a chat app, but I really didn’t think that these innocent pictures would put a stop to my entry into the country," he told Nordlys.

According to the report, Mikkelsen claimed that they searched him, requested blood samples and documented his fingerprints, ultimately barring him from entering the U.S. after the full interaction.

The story out of Norway gained traction on American social media soon after. "Bald J.D. Vance is going in the history books," wrote one X user, reacting to the report.

However, the widespread story of Mikkelsen's denial of entry to the U.S. also has an official reason that has since come out, which appears to have nothing to do with the meme.

According to a June 24th tweet from Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the claims about Mikkelsen being denied entry because of the Vance meme are false, writing in her response that "Mikkelsen was refused entry into the U.S. for his admitted drug use."

Shortly after McLaughlin's tweet, the official Customs and Border Protection (CBP) X account then tweeted its response to the viral story, also stating that it was false and that "Mads Mikkelsen was not denied entry for any memes or political reasons, it was for his admitted drug use."

What Are Some More 'Bald J.D. Vance' Memes?

Unhappy with the bald version of J.D. Vance? Well, you're in luck, because there are almost too many J.D. Vance edits to count.

He's been "Minionified," made into Pokémon characters and rotated, to give you that 3D effect.

Alternatively, if you're perfectly happy with the "Bald J.D. Vance" version, you're also in luck. The image is potent, as evident in the many memes and viral tweets that have used it.

However, some internet users, after hearing Mads Mikkelsen's claims, are afraid of stockpiling so-called "Rare Vances." One X user joked, "Bro, they would kill me on the spot," after learning of the report.

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For the full history of Bald J.D. Vance, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.