Hunter Biden opens up: “My father’s cancer has spread to his bones”

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, Hunter Biden spoke candidly about his father’s controversial decision to grant him a presidential pardon, his long battle with addiction, and the serious deterioration of Joe Biden‘s health. The former US president’s son described himself as “the most privileged person in the world,” while acknowledging that the pardon he received in December 2024 was, in his own words, neither good for the American people nor for the Constitution — or for Joe Biden’s legacy.

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Hunter Biden on his presidential pardon: “What would you think of him if he hadn’t done this for me?”

Despite these admissions, Hunter defended his father’s decision. “What would you think of him if he hadn’t done this for me?” he asked, adding that he understands why the decision drew criticism. “It’s not fair. All I know is that I am grateful that he did it for me,” he said.

Hunter Biden argued that his father ultimately made the decision out of fear that his son would become a target after Donald Trump’s return to the White House. “I was the only person in the world who could receive what I received, from the only person in the world who could give it — my father,” he said.

He insisted, however, that the two had never discussed the possibility of a presidential pardon before it was granted, arguing that such a conversation would have been nearly impossible to keep secret.

It is worth recalling that Joe Biden granted his son a full and unconditional pardon in December 2024, despite his repeated public pledges that he would never use presidential powers to intervene in his son’s legal cases. At the time, he argued that Hunter had been subjected to “selective and unfair prosecution.” The pardon covered Hunter’s conviction on illegal gun possession charges, a tax case in which he had pleaded guilty, and any potential federal offenses committed between 2014 and 2024.

Hunter Biden on his father’s cancer: “It has spread to his bones and elsewhere”

Hunter Biden became visibly emotional when the conversation turned to his father’s health. He revealed that Joe Biden’s cancer has spread “to his bones and elsewhere,” causing significant pain and considerable physical decline. “Cancer is really hard,” he said, pausing briefly as he became overcome with emotion. “It’s really sad to watch.” He described his father’s condition as “very painful” and “very debilitating.”

Despite his health struggles, Joe Biden remains the heart of his family, according to his son. “To this day, my father is the center of our family. He is the best father, the best husband, the best grandfather.” Hunter Biden added that the former president remains politically engaged and determined to continue speaking out publicly.

On the disastrous debate: “I knew something was wrong”

Hunter Biden also addressed his father’s catastrophic performance at the June 2024 presidential debate — the moment widely seen as sinking Joe Biden’s bid for a second term. He said he watched the debate from his home in California and immediately sensed that something was off. “I was shocked. I knew something was wrong,” he said.

In the past, Hunter had attributed his father’s poor performance to physical exhaustion from relentless travel. But following Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis, he raised the question of whether the illness may have already been affecting him at that point.

Hunter Biden’s darkest days: “I was drinking nearly four liters of vodka a day”

In the same interview, Hunter Biden spoke openly about one of the darkest periods of his life, describing the full extent of his addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine. At the worst point of his addiction, he said, he was drinking nearly four liters of vodka a day and smoking crack approximately every 15 minutes. “It was hell. There is nothing glamorous about that,” he said.

He rejected the notion that he turned to substances because, as the son of such a powerful political figure, he felt he could do whatever he wanted without consequences. “I wasn’t looking for anything other than oblivion,” he said, explaining that drugs and alcohol were initially a means of escaping anxiety and isolation, before becoming “something that almost killed me.”

In the same interview, Hunter Biden also put to rest rumors that have periodically circulated about him considering a political career — or even a future presidential run. He made clear that he has “no interest in politics” and has no intention of seeking public office. Instead, he said he wants to dedicate his time to raising awareness about addiction and recovery, viewing it as an issue that can unite Americans across the country’s deep political divides.