Hunter Biden's Complete Relationship History, Explained
Trigger warning: The following article mentions drug use and addiction
President Joe Biden has had many awkward moments captured on camera that were seen by millions. His son, Hunter Biden, has also faced his fair share of public scrutiny, albeit for things that are more scandalous than awkward, such as being found guilty of multiple felonies in his 2024 trial; Hunter was found guilty of obtaining and possessing a gun illegally as he lied about not using drugs when he filled out the application.
Although his criminal activities have been headline news for quite some time, the president's son has also garnered attention for his colorful dating history. Over the years, stories have surfaced regarding clandestine affairs, out-of-wedlock children, and unexpected connections involving Hunter. He has been romantically linked to an exotic dancer, a former employee, and even his own former sister-in-law within the last decade.
Some of these relationships are firmly in Hunter's past, but the lengthy witness list for his gun trial brought them back into the spotlight. Many of Hunter's past loves were called to testify about their experiences with him during the trial, and the details they shared were quite shocking. Here, we'll take a closer look at the women behind the testimonies and piece together Hunter's complex, sometimes tumultuous love life.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Hunter has three children with his first wife
Hunter Biden met his first wife, Kathleen Buhle, in 1993, and the couple share three daughters. However, their union was not an easy one given Biden's drug use and related struggles with accepting the death of his older brother, Joseph "Beau" Biden. Buhle was called to testify as a witness in Biden's gun trial. In her heartbreaking testimony about her life with Biden, she revealed that she found drug paraphernalia in their home in 2015. The marriage was also tainted by multiple instances of infidelity, which eventually contributed to their divorce.
Although ending a marriage is a difficult transition for most people, Buhle felt it was necessary to restore peace to her life. In 2022, she told People: "Anger is such a heavy weight to carry and I was in a lot of pain. There was a lot that happened that was very hard for me. And when I made the decision to divorce, I wanted to let go of all of that." Luckily, it appears that she has indeed successfully moved on from her marriage to Biden; later that year Buhle posted a joyful Instagram reel documenting her trip to buy a Christmas tree. In the video, Buhle expresses that she is enjoying her life as a single woman.
Hunter Biden had an affair with a former employee
Lunden Alexis Roberts was an employee at Hunter Biden's investment firm, Rosemont Seneca Partners, when she had a short relationship with the presidential son 2017. Biden has repeatedly claimed to not remember his brief fling with Roberts, but the Daily Mail revealed contrary evidence in 2021. Messages exchanged between Biden and Roberts show that he was aware of the pregnancy months before the child was born. Furthermore, the Daily Mail reported that a few months after their daughter, Navy Roberts, was born, Biden asked his assistant to make sure Roberts wasn't still benefiting from the company's health insurance plan.
After continuously denying that Navy was his child, Biden found himself embroiled in a custody lawsuit. In 2019, Biden agreed to a paternity test during court proceedings. The test revealed that Biden was indeed Navy's father. Navy may not have been welcomed into the Biden family with open arms at the time of her birth, but her grandfather, President Joe Biden, finally acknowledged her in 2023. After a long history of verbally leaving the girl off his list of grandchildren, the president told People: "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy."
He and his brother's widow bonded over grief
Grief can lead people to make unusual decisions, such as when Hunter Biden began a relationship with Hallie Biden, his brother's widow. The two officially became an item shortly after Kathleen Buhle decided to divorce Hunter in 2017, growing close because of their shared loss of Joseph "Beau" Biden. As a source associated with the publishing industry told The U.S. Sun, Hunter's relationship with Hallie began while they were still married and was the final nail in the coffin for his marriage to Buhle, who couldn't overlook the transgression.
Connecting with someone who empathizes with your grief can be a positive part of the healing process, but the relationship between Hallie and Hunter also had a dark side. One of the most unsettling revelations from Hallie's testimony at trial is that Hunter introduced her to drugs during their relationship. As NBC News reported, Hallie's regret about using drugs with Hunter was evident in her testimony. "It was a terrible experience that I went through and I'm embarrassed and I'm ashamed of that period of my life," she said.
However, drugs weren't the only difficult part of Hallie's relationship with Hunter; she also got rid of his gun. The Associated Press highlighted the fear she experienced when finding the gun, which she described during Hunter's trial. According to Hallie, "I didn't want him to hurt himself, and I didn't want my kids to find it and hurt themselves."
Zoe Kestan may have had good intentions
Hunter Biden met Zoe Kestan while she was working as an exotic dancer in December 2017. As the Daily Mail describes, the two met through a mutual friend, Allie Kennedy, who met Biden earlier that same year and maintained a mostly platonic relationship with him until 2019. According to Kennedy, Kestan's primary interest in Biden was potential financial gain: "She was an enabler. ... She thought he would be her sugar daddy." Biden's time with Kestan overlapped with his relationship with Hallie Biden and didn't last long, ending in 2018.
Although the two only dated for a short time, Kestan was still intimately familiar with Biden's battle with addiction. Kestan's testimony in his gun trial included multiple situations in which she witnessed Biden using drugs. While on the stand, Kestan also contradicted Kennedy's claims that her connection to Biden was financially motivated, noting that she and Biden discussed ways he could pursue sobriety.
Kestan also testified before a grand jury in 2022 and, as a source explained to the New York Post, told jurors about staying in expensive hotels with Biden while he used drugs. The source also noted that Kestan's testimony included taking credit for Biden's newfound sobriety.
He and Melissa Cohen only dated for six days
Some relationships evolve slowly, but Melissa Cohen and Hunter Biden moved their courtship along at a breakneck pace. Biden met Cohen in 2019, and the two married just six days after their first encounter. Clearly, the presidential son was smitten with Cohen at first sight. As Biden explained to ABC News a few months after their marriage: "I instantly fell in love with her. And then I've fallen in love with her more every day."
Although marrying so quickly might not work for everyone, it's clearly working for the Bidens. Despite the drama surrounding Biden's trial, the couple have both reported being very happy in their relationship. Cohen told ABC News: "I have an inclination that I'm gonna be in the honeymoon phase for a very long time. ... Things have not been easy externally, but internally things have been amazing."
Biden and Cohen also didn't waste much time expanding their family, welcoming their first child in 2020. The couple gave their son a name with deep personal significance for the Biden family: Beau Biden, a touching tribute to Biden's deceased brother. Despite the rocky path his love life has taken so far, it appears that Biden has finally found domestic bliss.