Hunter Biden opened up Friday about the toll his addiction struggles took on his father, former President Joe Biden, calling it “one of the greatest heartaches of my life.”
The former first son reflected on his battles with alcohol and drug abuse during a Friday appearance on “Real Time With Bill Maher.” When the eponymous host asked Biden point-blank if he ever apologized to his father for the “tough situation” he created, the disbarred lawyer responded, “Every day.”
“It’s one of the greatest heartaches of my life,” he said. “The trouble with recovery is this, I get to get out here and I talk about how I’ve been healed, how I’m, you know, I’m stronger than I’ve ever been … The real harm happened to all of the people around [addicts]. And the trauma for them goes very, very deep.”
He added: “They don’t get to come out on this show and talk about how well they’re doing and everything’s all great.”
As Biden went on, he mentioned how his daughters, Naomi, Finnegan, Maisy and Navy Joan, “lost the most important person in their life” for a two-year period. Per Biden, his absence was heightened by the passing of his brother, Beau Biden, to brain cancer.
“I was not there for them and I can never make up for that,” he said. “And same with my dad. [He] is unconditional love – it’s not love without consequences.”
Still, Biden emphasized that the longtime politician’s support was unwavering despite the challenges, which included felony gun charges and tax offenses.
“No matter what he would always be there for me,” Biden, who received a presidential pardon from his father, recalled. “But it doesn’t make up for the fact that, you know, every night he had to go to sleep when I was in that state and wonder whether or not I was alive just after losing Beau.”
Because of this, Biden noted that “guilt is an appropriate thing,” highlighting the importance of making amends amid recovery.
“You got to make amends as much as you can,” he continued. “And sometimes the greatest amend that you can make is just living a life by doing the next right thing. That’s what I hope I’m doing.”
Watch Biden’s commentary above.
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