Jill Biden says she still talks to her late son Beau every day, and now she’s asking him for help as her husband fights cancer.
Quick Take
- Jill Biden told podcast host Jamie Kern Lima that she prays to her son, Beau Biden, every morning, believing he listens from beyond the grave.
- She said Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis has made her turn to Beau even more, sometimes asking aloud, “Beau, where are you? I need you.”
- Beau Biden died in 2015 at age 46 after a battle with brain cancer, a loss that still shapes the family’s approach to grief and faith.
- Joe Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, a disease his family has said he will now live with for the rest of his life.
A Mother’s Prayer Turns Into A Plea For Her Son’s Help
Jill Biden opened up during an August 17 episode of The Jamie Kern Lima Show, describing a private ritual that has become a source of comfort. She said she prays to Beau every morning and believes he hears her.
Since Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis, that prayer has taken on new urgency, turning into moments of raw frustration and longing for her son’s presence.
Former first lady Dr. Jill Biden said she prays to her late son, Beau Biden, as her family tries to support former President Joe Biden, who is battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer. https://t.co/WcVZ7AzuNH
— ABC News (@ABC) August 17, 2026
The exact words she used carried unmistakable grief. According to ABC News, Jill Biden said, “I pray to Beau, and I think he listens, and now with … Joe’s cancer diagnosis, I get a little frustrated and I say, ‘Beau, where are you? I need you.'” It is a rare public window into how the Biden family processes loss while carrying a new health crisis.
Beau Biden’s Death Still Shapes The Family’s Story
Beau Biden, a former Delaware attorney general, died in 2015 at age 46 after a battle with brain cancer that began with his diagnosis in August 2013.
His father, then vice president, called it a loss that saddened “the entire Biden family… beyond words.” That grief has never fully faded, and it now sits alongside a new diagnosis for Joe Biden himself.
The timing carries extra weight for the family. Joe Biden’s cancer battle unfolded close to the anniversary of Beau’s death, a coincidence that has forced the family to confront two chapters of the same disease within the same calendar window. Reports at the time noted the emotional strain of marking that anniversary while managing a fresh diagnosis.
What Joe Biden’s Diagnosis Means Going Forward
Joe Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis was announced in May 2025, and doctors have described it as aggressive. Jill Biden has since given updates on his condition, telling reporters that while he remains busy, he has slowed down and will live with the disease permanently. She said in one update that he will carry stage 4 cancer “for the rest of his life,” even as he keeps a public schedule.
That reality has clearly weighed on Jill Biden as both a wife and a mother. She has spoken before about her struggle to hold onto faith after Beau’s death, once telling Kelly Clarkson she had “prayed so hard, every single day” for her stepson to survive, only to lose him anyway. That history adds depth to her current prayers for strength during Joe Biden’s own fight.
A Family Leaning On Faith Through A Second Cancer Fight
Jill Biden’s comments were not a one-time slip in an unguarded moment. She has repeated versions of the same sentiment across interviews tied to her memoir, describing prayer as a daily habit rather than an occasional comfort.
Her openness about speaking to Beau reflects a broader pattern of the Biden family using faith and memory to cope with repeated health crises.
For a family that has now faced brain cancer and prostate cancer within the same decade, the emotional math is brutal. Jill Biden’s words give the public a rare, unfiltered look at how a mother and wife holds two griefs at once: mourning a son lost to the disease while begging him, in prayer, to help carry her through her husband’s fight against the same enemy.
Sources:
abcnews.com, instyle.com, independent.co.uk, cnn.com, usatoday.com, foxnews.com, bbc.com
