Hunter Biden has ended his two-year relationship with deceased brother’s widow, Hallie Biden | National Post
Joe Biden’s son Hunter has reportedly split from Hallie Biden, his late brother’s widow.
According to a Page Six exclusive, the couple separated amicably, although neither have yet commented on the split. The announcement however does mark the end to an unusual family narrative that began four years ago.
Hallie was first introduced to the public as the wife of Hunter’s older brother, Joseph ‘Beau’ Biden, then-attorney general of Delaware and a major in the National Guard. The couple married in 2002 and share a daughter, Natasha and son, Robert. Robert’s middle name is also Hunter.
Capt. Beau Biden kisses his son Hunter, 3, after an official welcome home ceremony for members of the Delaware Army National Guard 261st Signal Brigade, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, in Dover, Del.
Rob Carr /
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The marriage however lasted 13 years, as Beau tragically passed away in 2015, leaving Hallie a widow and the family devastated. Joe Biden cited Beau’s death as one of the main reasons he chose not to enter the 2016 presidential race, as the grief left him drained of emotional energy.
In the same year, Hunter Biden also separated from his then-wife Kathleen after 22 years of marriage. Kathleen filed for divorce in December 2016, citing irreconcilable differences for the split. Her complaint alleged that since the separation, Hunter drained the family funds, choosing to spend “extravagantly on his own interests (including drugs, alcohol, prostitutes, strip clubs and gifts for women with whom he has sexual relations), while leaving the family with no funds to pay legitimate bills.”
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrives at Arlington National Cemetery with his wife, Jill Biden (R), son Hunter Biden (L) and daughter-in-law, Kathleen Biden for the burial of U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy on August 29, 2009.
Jim Bourg-Pool/Getty Images
Their divorce was finalized in April 2017. The couple also share three children.
Hunter’s less-than-stellar reputation has earned little public comment from the Biden family, although previous reports within the media alleges a penchant for drugs and infidelity. In 2014, he was discharged from the Navy Reserve within less than a year’s service after he tested positive for cocaine. His email was also found on the list of users holding accounts with the website Ashley Madison, which arranges extra-marital relationships, although he strongly denied the connection.
Hunter and Hallie went public with their relationship in March 2017, while Hunter was still technically married. “Hallie and I are incredibly lucky to have found the love and support we have for each other in such a difficult time, and that’s been obvious to the people who love us most,” Hunter told Page Six then. “We’ve been so lucky to have family and friends who have supported us every step of the way.”
Attorney General Beau Biden (C) celebrates his win with his wife Hallie Biden (R) during a victory party for Democrats on November 2, 2010 in Wilmington, Delaware.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
While ex-wife Kathleen did not comment, Joe and Jill Biden stated that the couple had their “full and complete support” and never publicly talked about the relationship again.
While strange, it is not explicitly uncommon for a sibling to form a relationship with his brother’s widow. In fact, the relationship echoes a primarily ancient Eastern tradition of “levirate marriages”, in which men marry their deceased brother’s widow so as to ensure that the children still get their family inheritance. Hunter and Hallie, however, never married.