Hunter Biden Says His Father’s Cancer Is “Very Painful” and “Very Debilitating” as the Former President Remains Publicly Active
Former President Joe Biden’s cancer has spread further into his bones and is causing significant pain, according to his son, Hunter Biden, who offered a sobering update on his father’s health during a wide-ranging BBC interview.
Speaking with BBC Newsnight host Paddy O’Connell, Hunter Biden said his father continues to push through the illness despite the toll it is taking on him.
“The only thing that I say about my dad, about his health right now, is I wish he would complain more,” Hunter Biden said. “Because it’s not good.”
“The cancer has metastasized into his bones and further,” he continued. “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating.”
The former president, now 83, revealed in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already spread to his bones. At the time, his office said the cancer had a Gleason score of 9 but was hormone-sensitive, allowing doctors to pursue treatment and management options.
Despite his condition, Hunter said his father remains active and engaged.
“He’s still out there, he’s still doing his thing,” Hunter said. “He so believes in this country. My dad is, to this day, the center of our family. He’s the best father, the best husband, the best grandfather.”
Biden has continued making public appearances since announcing his diagnosis, even as his family has become more open about the severity of his illness.
Hunter Biden Reflects on 2024 Debate
During the interview, Hunter Biden also revisited his father’s June 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump, a performance that intensified concerns about Biden’s age and fitness and ultimately contributed to pressure for him to end his reelection campaign.
Hunter said he and former first lady Jill Biden were stunned by what they saw.
“I was shocked,” Hunter said. “I knew something was wrong.”
Hunter has previously argued that his father was physically exhausted at the time. Since the cancer diagnosis, he has also questioned whether the illness could have been affecting his father before it was discovered.
Hunter Says Presidential Pardon Was ‘Not Good’
Hunter Biden also addressed one of the most controversial decisions of his father’s final weeks in office: the December 2024 presidential pardon that spared him from federal prosecution and punishment related to gun and tax cases.
Hunter acknowledged the criticism surrounding the decision.
“Was it good for our Constitution? Was it good for the American people? Was it good for my dad’s legacy? No, on all counts,” he said. “It’s something that is easily criticized and for good reason, and I can’t pretend otherwise.”
Still, Hunter defended his father’s decision, arguing that the former president believed he could become a target for political retaliation after Trump returned to office.
“I think that Donald Trump has proven to be exactly who my dad thought he was going to be, as it relates to the revenge and retribution that he would seek on his political enemies,” Hunter said.
Joe Biden issued his son a full and unconditional pardon on Dec. 1, 2024, covering federal offenses committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024. Hunter had been convicted on federal gun charges and had pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. Biden had previously said publicly that he would not pardon his son.
Before leaving office, Biden also issued preemptive pardons to several members of his family and to people he feared could face politically motivated prosecution under the incoming Trump administration, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and members of Congress who served on the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
