Hunter Biden Says His Addiction Made Dad’s Life and Health ‘Worse’

He added that, in his experience, many people who reached that point were “either dead or in jail.”

Hunter Biden’s struggles with addiction, including his use of crack cocaine, have been widely documented over the past several years and were discussed extensively in his 2021 memoir, Beautiful Things.

His addiction unfolded during an especially difficult period for the Biden family following the 2015 death of Joe Biden’s eldest son, Beau Biden, who died from brain cancer at the age of 46.

Despite the hardships, Hunter Biden emphasized that his father’s unwavering support never meant there was an absence of accountability.

“Unconditional love doesn’t mean love without consequences,” he said. “It doesn’t mean love without accountability.”

Joe Biden faced his own significant personal challenges after leaving the White House.

He withdrew from the 2024 presidential race on July 21, 2024, following weeks of mounting questions about his age and ability to continue his campaign.

In May 2025, Biden’s office announced that the former president had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.

His office said at the time that the cancer appeared to be hormone-sensitive and that Biden and his family were reviewing treatment options with his physicians.