Former US First Lady Jill Biden has shared new details about former President Joe Biden‘s health, revealing that he was waking up “seven times a night” before he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.Speaking on SiriusXM’s Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa on Wednesday, Jill Biden said she had repeatedly raised concerns with White House physicians about her husband’s frequent nighttime trips but believed the issue had already been addressed.“I thought it was addressed,” she said, recalling how she had informed doctors about Joe Biden’s condition while they were still in the White House.However, after leaving the White House in January 2025, the problem persisted.“But when it continued when we got out of the White House, I said, ‘Joe, we’ve got to go up to Jeff in Philly — something’s wrong,'” Jill said during the interview.
Diagnosis came after leaving the White House
Joe Biden, 83, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May 2025. The disease had already spread to his bones by the time it was detected.Jill said the former president will have to live with the illness permanently.“He will forever live with cancer,” she said, adding that his treatment now involves regular monitoring every three months, along with medication.“We have to be mindful of it every three months, testing and medicines. And anybody who’s gone through this cancer journey… it’s constant. It’s daily. And I think it’s challenging,” she said.Jill also reflected on her family’s previous experience with cancer, mentioning the loss of Beau Biden, Joe Biden’s eldest son, who died from glioblastoma in 2015.
Jill says she never suspected prostate cancer
Despite sensing that something was wrong, Jill admitted she never imagined prostate cancer would be the diagnosis.“I never, oh my God, I never thought it would be prostate cancer,” she said.Earlier, in a May 2025 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Jill had described the diagnosis as “shocking,” saying she was surprised that the condition had not been detected despite the extensive medical care available to the president while he was in office.According to Joe Biden’s physician, routine PSA blood screening for prostate cancer is generally not recommended for men over 70 under the American Urological Association’s guidelines, as the disease is often slow-growing.
Kelly Ripa pushes back against ‘cover-up’ claims
Podcast host Kelly Ripa also addressed speculation suggesting the Biden family had concealed the diagnosis, saying such assumptions ignore how difficult bone cancer can be to detect early.Ripa shared that her own father discovered cancer only after a car accident led doctors to investigate persistent back pain.“So when people were like, ‘There’s no way you can’t know,’ oh, yes, there is,” Ripa said.In addition to his prostate cancer treatment, a spokesperson confirmed in September 2025 that Joe Biden also underwent Mohs surgery, a procedure commonly used to treat skin cancer.Jill concluded the interview on a hopeful note, saying that although the cancer cannot be eliminated, her husband is “doing okay.”
