Hunter Biden told the BBC that his father Joe Biden's prostate cancer has spread to his bones and other parts of his body, causing him pain. The interview aired late Friday, August 7, 2026. Hunter described the condition as "very painful and very debilitating in many respects" and said it was "very sad to watch" The Guardian.

Joe Biden is 83 years old and was the oldest person to ever serve as US president. He first shared his prostate cancer diagnosis in May 2025, less than four months after leaving the White House. At that time, his office said the cancer had spread to his bones but could be effectively managed BBC. The initial diagnosis was described as an aggressive form of prostate cancer BBC.

Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the prostate gland. When cancer "spreads," it means it has moved from where it started to other parts of the body, which makes it harder to treat. Biden's office said in May 2025 that the cancer had reached his bones. Hunter Biden's August 2026 account is the first public sign that the disease has gone beyond that.

Despite the deterioration, Hunter Biden said his father remains publicly active and continues speaking on issues important to him. Joe Biden is set to publish a memoir, "Promise Me, America," after the midterm elections. The book will add to what has already been an unusually public post-presidency for a figure whose political exit was marked by conflict within his own party.

Hunter Biden spoke to BBC Newsnight about his father's cancer battle, his pardon, and politics in an interview that was previewed on August 1 BBC. Hunter told the BBC that his pardon was "not good" for the US or his father's legacy BBC. A pardon is when a president officially forgives someone for a crime, removing their legal penalty. Joe Biden pardoned his son before leaving office. Hunter also lashed out at George Clooney over his father's 2024 presidential race decision BBC. In a separate BBC interview earlier in June, Hunter denied any interest in running for office BBC.

The broader context here matters for several reasons. The Biden family chose to share the news about the former president's worsening illness through a TV interview rather than a formal medical statement from his office. When the cancer was first diagnosed in May 2025, Biden's office said it was manageable. Hunter Biden's description of the disease as "very debilitating" in August 2026 paints a much more serious picture, and it comes from a family member rather than through the official medical channel that delivered the first update. That creates a gap between what Biden's office said and what his son is now saying, and observers will be watching closely.

The interview also keeps the Biden family's political controversies in public view at a moment when the Democratic Party is figuring out its future without Joe Biden at the top. Hunter Biden's criticisms of the pardon and his remarks about Clooney, who was among the well-known Democrats calling for Joe Biden to step aside in 2024, keep the story of Biden's exit from the race alive. For a former president preparing to release a memoir after the midterm elections, these threads come together: the health news makes the personal stakes feel real, while the political complaints reopen debates the party has not fully settled.

What remains uncertain is whether Biden's office will issue a formal medical update to confirm or add context to Hunter's account. The gap between the May 2025 statement describing manageable bone involvement and the August 2026 description of cancer spreading further and causing significant pain suggests the disease has gotten worse. How that is communicated, and by whom, will shape the public record of a presidency that was defined in its final act by questions about age, capacity, and the institutional willingness to confront them.