Hunter Biden tells BBC father's prostate cancer has spread to bones, calls it 'very painful'

Cancer progression

Hunter Biden, 56, told BBC's Newsnight in an interview aired on Friday 7 August that his father's prostate cancer has spread beyond the bones. Joe Biden, 83, was diagnosed in May 2025 with stage 4 prostate cancer, Gleason score 9 (Grade Group 5), with bone metastases, less than four months after leaving the White House. A spokesperson confirmed in October 2025 that the former president was undergoing radiation therapy and hormone therapy. The family said at the time of diagnosis that the cancer appeared to be hormone-sensitive, allowing for effective treatment.

“The cancer has spread, it has metastasized to his bones and further. It is very painful and, in many ways, extremely exhausting.”

A spokesperson for the 83-year-old Democrat declined on Saturday to comment on Hunter's interview. Biden had stated in the previous month, ahead of a book about his presidency, that his treatment was going "really well."

Jill Biden's assessments

Former first lady Jill Biden addressed her husband's condition on the Today show on 1 June, saying he was "doing well" but that the bone metastasis significantly changed the situation compared to a potentially curable prostate cancer diagnosis. She said she believed Joe would "live with cancer for the rest of his life." She spoke again on 5 August on the show Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa, reiterating that Joe Biden would "live forever with cancer." She referenced the family's experience with cancer, including the death of Beau Biden from brain cancer in 2015 at age 46.

“Anyone who has been through this journey with cancer, and I have been through it many times with members of my family, of course with Beau, knows that it is something continuous. It is daily. And I think it is hard.”

The presidential pardon

In the same BBC interview, Hunter Biden defended the presidential pardon his father granted him in December 2024, while acknowledging it was "not good" for the American people, the Constitution, or his father's legacy. The pardon covered a federal gun conviction, a tax case in which he had pleaded guilty, and any federal offenses committed between 2014 and 2024. Biden had previously stated repeatedly that he would not use presidential powers to intervene in his son's legal cases, saying at the time of the announcement that his son had been "selectively and unfairly prosecuted."

“What would you think of my father if he didn't do this for me?”

Hunter Biden said his father ultimately acted out of concern that he would become a target under the incoming Trump administration. He insisted the two had never discussed the possibility of a pardon before it was granted, saying such conversations could not take place without becoming public.

Addiction and personal detail

Hunter Biden described the depth of his addiction at its worst, saying he was drinking nearly a gallon of vodka per day and smoking crack cocaine. He said he is now working to help others overcome addiction. He also ruled out running for elected office, calling himself "the most privileged person there is" after receiving the pardon.

“It is something that can easily be criticized and, for good reason.”

Upcoming memoir and public life

Joe Biden's memoir, titled "Promise Me, America," is scheduled for release on 17 November, after the midterm elections. Biden attended the inauguration of Barack Obama's presidential library in Chicago in June. A separate book, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson, described Biden's physical and cognitive decline during 2023 and 2024, citing a meeting with actor George Clooney in which the president appeared seriously diminished. Hunter Biden said his father continues to speak publicly on issues he considers important, saying he "still does what he does" and "believes so much in this country."