Politics
Jill Biden Talks Knowing Husband Joe Is ‘Going to Die’ Amid His Aggressive Prostate Cancer Battle: ‘I’m Scared’
Jill Biden is opening up about a fear she cannot completely push aside as her husband, Joe Biden, continues his battle with aggressive prostate cancer.
The former first lady, 75, appeared on the Jaime Kern Lima Show on Thursday, August 20, where she spoke candidly about the possibility of losing her husband and how the couple is navigating the uncertainty surrounding his health.
“Of course I’m scared,” Jill 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.”
For Jill, that meant acknowledging what could happen without letting those thoughts take over their lives.
“It’s like, you can’t imagine life without them. But you know they’re going to die, just like I know I’m going to die,” she said. “So part of it, you accept.”
Despite her own fears, Jill said Joe has remained “strong” and “resilient” since his diagnosis.
She also revealed that her husband has not told her whether he is afraid of what lies ahead. “He’s always been the strength of our family,” Jill said.
Rather than spending each day thinking about Joe’s illness or what could happen next, Jill said they have made a conscious decision to focus on the life they still have together.
“We can’t look at life that way … We look at it like, ‘Joe has cancer. He’s gonna die, so let’s make the most of every moment,'” she explained during the conversation.
For the Bidens, that means making time for each other and deliberately looking for happiness even while dealing with a serious diagnosis.
“‘Let’s be together … let’s find things that bring us joy. Let’s make this a positive journey,'” Jill continued. “I mean, not a negative journey, because how can you live with that every day? You can’t. It’s too heavy.”
Her comments offer a candid look at how the couple has approached Joe’s health since his office revealed his diagnosis in May 2025.
The former U.S president was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 9, or Grade Group 5, according to ABC News.
The cancer had already spread to his bones when the diagnosis was announced. His office said at the time that the cancer was hormone-sensitive, allowing for effective management.
Jill previously addressed the seriousness of the diagnosis during a June appearance on Today, saying Joe was “doing okay” but acknowledging that the cancer spreading to his bones had changed the situation considerably.
“If he had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, that’s one thing, because that can be cured,” she said at the time. “But the fact that it metastasized to his bones, that makes it a whole different story.”
She added that she expects cancer to remain part of their lives going forward. “I think Joe will live with cancer ’til the rest of his life,” Jill said.
