‘Very Painful’: Hunter Biden Says Father’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones

Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has progressed beyond the bone metastases disclosed at his 2025 diagnosis and is causing him significant pain, his son Hunter Biden said in an interview Friday.

“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” Hunter Biden said during an interview with BBC Newsnight. “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects.”

Hunter Biden became emotional while discussing his father’s condition, describing it as “really sad to watch” and saying he wished the former president would complain more about what he is experiencing.

Joe Biden, 83, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May 2025, several months after leaving the White House, following a medical examination prompted by urinary symptoms. His office said at the time that the cancer had a Gleason score of 9 and had already metastasized to his bones, while describing it as hormone-sensitive and therefore potentially responsive to treatment.

Hunter Biden said his father remains active despite the progression of his illness. “He’s still out there. He’s still doing his thing,” Hunter Biden said. “He so believes in this country.”

“My dad is, to this day, the center of our family,” he added. “He’s the best father, the best husband, the best grandfather.”

Biden’s health became a major issue during the final year of his presidency, particularly following his June 2024 debate performance against now-President Donald Trump. Hunter Biden said he was “shocked” while watching the debate. “I knew something was wrong,” he added.

Hunter Biden also discussed his father’s decision to pardon him in the final weeks of his presidency, calling himself “the most privileged person there is” and conceding the pardon was “not good” for the American people, the Constitution or his father’s legacy.

Then-President Biden issued Hunter Biden a full and unconditional pardon in December 2024 covering his federal gun conviction, tax case and federal offenses committed between 2014 and 2024.

Hunter Biden said his father remains focused on his family and public life despite his illness. He concluded, “He’s the toughest man I know.”