Jill Biden Speaks Candidly About Husband’s Cancer Fight

WASHINGTON – Former first lady Jill Biden has offered some of her most personal comments yet about former President Joe Biden’s health, describing the fear, uncertainty and daily strain that have followed his diagnosis with aggressive prostate cancer. Biden, 83, was diagnosed in May 2025 with Grade Group 5 prostate cancer that had already spread to his bones. Speaking this month on the Jamie Kern Lima Show, Jill Biden, 75, said she is trying to stay focused on the present as the family confronts what the illness means for the years ahead.

“Of course I’m scared,” she said. “I mean, first of all, he’s almost 10 years older than I am. And with an illness … you kinda can’t let your head go there.” She added that she cannot imagine life without him, but that she has come to accept the reality of mortality. “You know they’re going to die – just like I know I’m going to die. So part of it, you accept.”

She described her husband as “strong” and “resilient” and said he has not shared any fears about the illness with her. “He’s always been the strength of our family,” she said. Rather than dwell on the diagnosis, she said the couple is trying to treat each day as time worth using. “We look at it like, ‘Joe has cancer. He’s gonna die, so let’s make the most of every moment,'” she said. “Let’s be together … let’s find things that bring us joy. Let’s make this a positive journey.”

Latest Health Updates from Jill Biden

The remarks follow an earlier update. On June 1, appearing on NBC’s Today, Jill Biden said her husband was “doing okay” but that the spread of the cancer to his bones “makes it a whole different story.” “I think Joe will live with cancer ’til the rest of his life,” she said.

Their son Hunter Biden struck a more sobering note in an August interview with the BBC. He said the cancer had “metastasized into his bones and further,” calling it “very painful” and “very debilitating.” “It’s really sad to watch,” he said, adding that he wished his father would complain more because “it’s not good.” Hunter said the former president remains the “center of our family” and is “still doing his thing.”

Joe Biden’s health was a central issue during his presidency and the 2024 campaign. He left office in January 2025. His office has not issued a new detailed medical statement since the latest family interviews.