Biden’s cancer has spread and become very painful, son Hunter reveals

Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has spread beyond his bones and has become very painful, his son Hunter Biden revealed in a new interview, offering the most detailed public update yet on the 83-year-old’s deteriorating health condition.

Hunter Biden told the BBC’s Newsnight programme that his father’s cancer has metastasized into his bones and beyond, according to video footage of the interview posted online on Friday. He described the condition as very painful and debilitating in many respects, offering a stark assessment of how far the disease has progressed since it was first diagnosed.

A spokesman for the former Democratic president declined to comment on Hunter Biden’s remarks when reached on Saturday, leaving the son’s account as the most recent and detailed public statement on the elder Biden’s health status.

Diagnosis first revealed in 2025

Biden first disclosed his prostate cancer diagnosis in May 2025, less than four months after leaving the White House. At the time, his office described the diagnosis as an aggressive form of the disease and confirmed that it had already spread to his bones, marking a serious health revelation that came just months after he left office following a single term as president.

A spokesman for Biden said in October that the former president had begun undergoing radiation treatment alongside hormone therapy in an effort to manage the disease, representing the most recent official update on his treatment regimen prior to Hunter Biden’s latest comments.

A presidency shaped by scrutiny over age and health

Biden made history as the oldest person ever elected to the American presidency when he won the office in 2020. His physical health and mental acuity faced sustained public scrutiny throughout his presidency, which ran from 2021 to 2025, with questions about his fitness for office becoming a recurring theme during his time in the White House and throughout his time seeking reelection.

Despite the health challenges that have emerged since leaving office, Biden has continued to make public appearances. He attended the dedication of former President Barack Obama’s presidential library in Chicago in June, marking one of his more notable public appearances since departing the presidency. Biden served as vice president under Obama from 2009 to 2017, a partnership that has continued to define much of his political legacy.

Memoir set for November release

Biden’s presidential memoir is scheduled for release on November 17, offering what is expected to be his own detailed account of his one term in office. The timing of the book’s release means it will arrive as public attention remains focused on his health, with Hunter Biden’s latest comments likely to intensify interest in how the former president addresses his cancer diagnosis and its impact on his post-presidency in his own written account.

The revelation adds to a year marked by significant health developments for the former president, whose battle with an aggressive and now advancing form of cancer has become an increasingly prominent part of his public story since leaving the White House.