Hunter Biden reveals father's prostate cancer has spread to bones, calls it 'very painful and debilitating'

Cancer progression

Hunter Biden, in a wide-ranging interview with BBC Newsnight broadcast on August 7, 2026, revealed that his father's prostate cancer has metastasized beyond the bones. Joe Biden, 83, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May 2025, less than four months after leaving the White House in January 2025. The diagnosis included bone metastases from the outset, and the cancer is now at stage four, the most advanced level, meaning he will live with the disease permanently.

The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further. It's very painful and it's very debilitating in many respects.

Hunter grew emotional during the interview, pausing to clear his voice. He described the illness as "really hard" and said it was "really sad to watch."

The only thing that I'd say about my dad, about his health right now, is I wish he would complain more, because it's not good.

The 2024 debate and early suspicions

Hunter revisited the presidential debate between his father and Donald Trump, dated to June or July 2024 depending on the source, which effectively ended Biden's re-election campaign. Watching from his home in California, Hunter said he was shocked by his father's performance. At the time, the poor showing was attributed to exhaustion from continuous travel.

I was shocked. I knew something was wrong.

In retrospect, Hunter questioned whether the cancer was already affecting his father physically. Biden abandoned his re-election bid in mid-2024, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, who was subsequently defeated by Trump. In early 2024, Biden's personal physician had deemed him fit to remain in office following a physical exam. In February 2023, Biden had undergone successful removal of a lesion.

The presidential pardon

Hunter also addressed the full and unconditional pardon his father granted him in December 2024, weeks before Biden left the presidency. The pardon covered a federal firearms conviction, a tax case in which he had pleaded guilty, and any other federal offenses. Hunter acknowledged the privilege of receiving the pardon and admitted it carried a cost.

If it was good for our Constitution, for the American people and for my father's legacy? Not at all. It wasn't, it's something that is easily criticizable and for good reasons. I can't pretend otherwise. But I am grateful that he did it for me.

He said he never discussed the possibility of a pardon with his father, explaining that such conversations would inevitably become public. Hunter noted that Trump had mentioned or criticized him and his father six times per day during the first 100 days of his presidency.

Resilience and what comes next

Despite the severity of the illness, Hunter emphasized that his father remains politically engaged and determined to speak out. He described Biden as the "center" of their family and praised his resilience, calling him the strongest man he knows.

He's still doing his thing. He so believes in this country.

Hunter rejected suggestions that he might enter politics himself, saying he intends to devote his time to fighting addiction. During the interview, he recalled that at his worst point he was drinking nearly a gallon of vodka per day, the equivalent of more than three liters. Joe Biden is expected to publish a memoir, "Promise Me, America," after the midterm elections.