Jill Biden has shared her deep emotional struggle as she reflects on how much she would have valued her late son, Beau, during the challenges her husband, Joe, is facing with his health.
On the Monday, June 1, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, the former first lady, 74, opened up about visiting her son’s gravesite to seek guidance while dealing with the complexities of Joe’s stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis.
“I go to the grave often. I talk to Beau,” she said, referring to her son who passed away from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, at age 46 in 2015. “I mean, Joe’s going through this diagnosis, and I say to him, ‘Beau, come on. Where are you? I need you.’ And I talk to him all the time. And you know, I’m sure if you’ve lost somebody, the conversation doesn’t stop and constantly saying, just talking things through. But my other two children, Ashley and Hunter, have been really supportive through it all, and that’s how you get through it.”
Earlier that same morning, during the third hour of Today, Jill provided a rare update on Joe’s health following his cancer diagnosis.
“He’s doing OK…” she disclosed. “You know how tough it is. 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. I think Joe will live with cancer until the rest of his life.”
In a Sunday, May 31, interview with CBS News Sunday Morning, the 74-year-old admitted she was “shocked” by the news, as men over 70 do not typically require routine blood tests for prostate cancer.
“I do feel we had amazing care in the White House, but somehow that was missed,” she asserted.
When Was Joe Biden Diagnosed With Cancer?
On May 18, 2025, a spokesperson for Joe, 83, announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” the statement read. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
Joe followed up with an Instagram post of his own, writing, “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
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