Hunter Biden Says Joe Biden’s Prostate Cancer Has Spread Further Into His Bones
Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has spread to other parts of his body and is causing him pain, his son Hunter Biden said in a televised interview broadcast late Friday, August 8, on the BBC’s “Newsnight” program.
What Hunter Biden Said
“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” Hunter Biden said, according to CBS News. “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects.” He did not elaborate on which additional parts of his father’s body the cancer had spread to, according to Time, and the former president’s office has not publicly disclosed further details about the extent of the disease.
Hunter Biden grew emotional discussing his father’s condition during the interview, describing it as difficult to watch. “It’s really hard,” he said, according to NBC News. “It’s really sad to watch.” He added: “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.” Despite the diagnosis, Hunter Biden said his father remains active and engaged publicly. “He’s still out there and he’s still doing his thing,” he said, according to The Hill.
The Original Diagnosis
Joe Biden’s office announced in May 2025 — less than four months after he left the White House — that the 83-year-old former president had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, according to the Associated Press, via PBS News. According to a statement issued at the time, Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer carrying a Gleason score of 9, classified as Grade Group 5, with metastasis already present in the bone at diagnosis. His office said at the time that the cancer appeared to be “hormone-sensitive,” a characteristic that allows for what doctors described as effective management of the disease.
Biden has since undergone treatment for the condition. According to Time, he had surgery to remove skin cancer lesions in September 2025 and completed a round of radiation therapy for the prostate cancer in October 2025.
Why the Diagnosis Drew Scrutiny
The timing and circumstances of Biden’s diagnosis drew criticism from across the political spectrum. Former first lady Jill Biden explained in a May 2026 interview with CBS News that the cancer wasn’t detected while her husband was in the White House, citing medical guidance that had shaped his screening. “The doctors said that, according to the American Urological Association, that men over 70 don’t need a PSA, a blood test, anymore because it’s a slow-growing cancer,” she said. “I do feel we had amazing care in the White House, but somehow that was missed.”
Biden and his White House advisers had already faced intense criticism over the handling and disclosure of his health more broadly, particularly following his decision to abandon his 2024 reelection bid after a widely criticized debate performance against Trump, according to CBS News.
What Jill Biden Has Said About the Long-Term Outlook
Jill Biden has spoken publicly on multiple occasions about what her husband’s diagnosis means going forward. In a June 2026 interview on NBC’s “TODAY” show, she said the fact that the cancer had metastasized to his bones fundamentally changed the nature of the diagnosis. “I think if he had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, that’s one thing because that can be cured, but the fact that it metastasized to his bones, that makes it a whole different story,” she said, according to The Hill. “So I think Joe will live with cancer till the rest of his life.”
In a more recent conversation on the podcast “Let’s Talk Off Camera With Kelly Ripa,” Jill Biden reiterated that the disease is now a permanent part of her husband’s life. “He will live forever with cancer,” she said, according to Time. “It’s daily.”
What Else Hunter Biden Discussed
The wide-ranging BBC interview also touched on other subjects beyond his father’s health. Hunter Biden spoke about the presidential pardon his father granted him just before leaving office, which covered any crimes committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024 — a period during which Hunter Biden had faced federal gun charges and had pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges. Asked about the pardon, Hunter Biden acknowledged it was “not fair,” according to NBC News, while adding: “All I know is that I’m grateful that he did it for me.”
What Comes Next for Joe Biden Publicly
Despite his declining health, Joe Biden has continued some public engagement. According to PBS News, the former president is set to publish a memoir titled “Promise Me, America” after this year’s midterm elections.
FAQ
What did Hunter Biden say about his father’s cancer? He said the cancer has “metastasized into his bones and further,” describing it as very painful and debilitating, in a BBC “Newsnight” interview broadcast August 8, 2026.
When was Joe Biden diagnosed with prostate cancer? May 2025, less than four months after leaving the White House. He was diagnosed with a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) prostate cancer with metastasis already present in the bone at diagnosis.
Why wasn’t the cancer caught earlier, during his presidency? Jill Biden has said doctors followed American Urological Association guidance that men over 70 generally don’t need routine PSA screening, since prostate cancer is typically slow-growing — guidance she said may have contributed to the diagnosis being missed while he was in office.
Is Joe Biden’s cancer considered curable? According to Jill Biden’s public comments, the fact that the cancer has metastasized to his bones means it’s no longer considered curable in the way an earlier-stage, localized diagnosis might have been; she has said he will live with the disease for the rest of his life.
Has Joe Biden’s office released additional details about where the cancer has spread? No. Hunter Biden did not specify which additional areas were affected, and Joe Biden’s office has not publicly disclosed further details beyond the bone metastasis described in the original 2025 diagnosis.
Conclusion
Hunter Biden’s comments offer a rare, direct, and emotional public update on his father’s health from within the family, confirming that the former president’s cancer has progressed since his original 2025 diagnosis. With Jill Biden having already described the disease as one Joe Biden will live with permanently, and with the former president continuing some public engagement — including plans for a memoir after the midterms — his family appears to be approaching his health both candidly and with an emphasis on his continued public presence, even as the underlying prognosis remains serious.
Sources: CBS News, NBC News, PBS News/Associated Press, The Hill, Time (reporting dated August 8-9, 2026).