Jill Biden Reveals Symptom Joe Experienced Before Cancer Diagnosis
Jill Biden is offering new insight into the symptoms Joe Biden experienced in the lead-up to his prostate cancer diagnosis, revealing that he had been waking up as many as seven times a night to use the bathroom.
The former first lady shared the detail during an appearance on SiriusXM's Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa podcast, released Wednesday, Aug. 5. Jill said the pattern began while the couple was still in the White House. "In the year before we left the White House, Joe began waking up repeatedly at night," she wrote in her recent memoir, according to CNN. "This symptom, I knew, was common in men his age." She recalled raising the issue with his physician at the time, telling the doctor, "Joe was up seven times last night," though initial testing didn't point to any larger concern.
A Diagnosis That Came After Leaving Office
Joe Biden, 83, was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in May 2025, months after leaving the presidency. According to a statement from his office at the time, "Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone." His office added that the cancer, while aggressive, "appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management."
Jill described her own reaction to the diagnosis as one of disbelief, particularly given how closely a sitting president's health is monitored. "You put the president in bubble wrap, and he ends up with stage IV prostate cancer? It made no sense," she wrote in her memoir. When symptoms worsened after the couple left the White House, she encouraged her husband to see a Philadelphia urologist, who ultimately delivered the diagnosis.
Living With an Incurable but Manageable Disease
Jill explained the distinction between a typical prostate cancer diagnosis and her husband's specific case. "That diagnosis can be cured. You can go through radiation or whatever. You can be cured, and you'll be fine," she said on the podcast. "Unfortunately for Joe, it metastasized to his bones, which means that he will forever live with cancer." She said he now undergoes testing and medication management every three months.
Drawing on her own family's experience with cancer, including the loss of the couple's son Beau to glioblastoma in 2015, Jill reflected on what the ongoing nature of the disease demands. "Anybody who's gone through this cancer journey, and I've been through it many times with members of my family, of course with Beau, it's constant. It's daily. And I think it's challenging," she said.
Despite the seriousness of the diagnosis, Jill said her husband continues to push forward. "He's doing okay," she said on the podcast, adding that the couple remains focused on facing each day together.
This story includes discussion of a serious medical diagnosis. If you have questions about your own health or symptoms, consider speaking with a doctor or healthcare provider.
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