The Tragedy Of Hallie Biden Just Keeps Getting Sadder & Sadder

The following article includes mention of suicide and drug use. 

Despite being a member of the Biden family through marriage, Hallie Biden managed to slip under the radar to some degree for many years — but her husband's death changed everything. In the years since that tremendous loss, the details that emerged about her life have become increasingly sad. 

We'll begin with Beau Biden's death. Hallie and Beau first met as kids, but became a couple in the late 90s. By 2001, the two were engaged and they married the following year, going on to welcome two children. However, tragedy struck in 2010 when Beau began facing serious health woes. First, he had a stroke. A doctor speaking to CNN explained that it was mild and he was fine with Hallie and his parents by his side. Sadly, that wouldn't be the last of his ordeal. Three years later, he fell ill on vacation, and not long after an initial hospital visit, he had a brain mass removed. Although some have questioned the timeline of his illness, Beau ultimately died of brain cancer in 2015.

Suffice it to say, the entire Biden family was devastated by the tragic loss, and in pictures from the emotional funeral, Hallie appeared understandably withdrawn. That said, she did not speak at the service, nor did she issue a statement separate from the extended family's. Even so, Barack Obama spoke directly to her in his eulogy, promising that his family would be by her side as she grieved. "We have become part of the Biden clan. We are honorary members now and the Biden family rules apply. We are always here for you — my word as a Biden," the then-president told the widow (via The Guardian).

As many know, in the aftermath of Beau Biden's death, and while Hunter Biden was separated from then-wife Kathleen Buhle, he and Hallie Biden began a romantic relationship. Unsurprisingly, the relationship raised a ton of eyebrows — but as countless people close to the Biden family said, it wasn't that farfetched. 

For starters, one family friend told People, "[They] went to all the doctor appointments together when Beau first got sick ... You obviously develop a bond. This isn't something that happened while he was sick, it came as a result of being in the trenches together for three years." The friend added, "I am happy that the two of them have found happiness after three plus years of really painful times." Joe and Jill Biden shared the same sentiment, telling Page Six, "We are all lucky that Hunter and Hallie found each other as they were putting their lives together again after such sadness."

Unfortunately, not everyone was thrilled about their relationship. In fact, despite his parents' public support, Hunter revealed in his book "Beautiful Things" that he'd had to ask his dad to make the statement, and that Joe hadn't been super keen at first. What's more, Hunter also shared in a 2021 interview with "CBS This Morning" that the relationship had been tough on his kids. Though he didn't go into further detail, it has since emerged that his ex-wife found out about his and Hallie's affair through their children, so we aren't shocked to hear they found the new relationship hard to accept, on top of the more obvious reasons for their concern. As for Hallie's children, she hasn't spoken about their response to the relationship. However, she certainly has pointed to the brief affair being pretty tumultuous. 

Far from bringing them a sense of peace after Beau Biden's death, Hallie and Hunter Biden's relationship was pretty rocky. In fact, in "Beautiful Things," Hunter wrote, "It was a giant miscalculation on both our parts, errors in judgment born of a uniquely tragic time... it felt like a failure of epic proportions" (via USA Today). Yikes. 

We'd say we feel for Hallie just reading that, but something tells us she agrees with her ex. After all, during Hunter's federal gun trial, she opened up about some of the not-so-great aspects of their relationship. For one, there was the gun that prompted the trial. We'll get into the trial itself in a sec, but as many already know, Hallie actually found the weapon in Hunter's car without realizing he even had it and tried to dispose of it. Of course, she didn't exactly go about it the right way, opting to toss it in a public garbage can. The firearm was ultimately found after Hunter realized it was missing and Hallie copped to taking it, but she shared that common sense simply hadn't prevailed at the time. "I didn't want him to hurt himself or my kids to find it and hurt themselves... I was just so flustered from the whole thing. I realize it was a stupid idea now, but I was just panicking," she shared at the trial (via CNBC). 

Hallie said she was concerned about the possibility that Hunter might attempt suicide, something he corroborated in the police report when he told the authorities about the gun going missing. Given the fact that her husband had died not too long prior, we can only imagine how tough that thought would have been for Hallie. 

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Sadly, finding a gun in Hunter Biden's car was just one of the reasons Hallie Biden was concerned about him. As she shared while testifying at his gun trial — which dealt specifically with the possibility of him having lied about using drugs at the time he bought the weapon — she was worried about the possibility of him overdosing on drugs. 

Hunter's history with drugs is far from a secret, so it probably didn't come as a shock to many when Hallie opened up about his use of illegal substances during the time they were together. Nevertheless, she revealed some instances were particularly concerning to her. For starters, she shared that the reason why she had been searching his car was because she was concerned there might've been drugs in it. What's more, another piece of evidence brought up during the trial was a text she'd sent Hunter confronting him for leaving drug paraphernalia out where her son could get it. "I just went into a library and sitting next to Hunter [Hallie and Beau Biden's son] was your brown leather pouch with a stem in it," she'd written (via NBC News). 

One of the most stunning revelations Hallie made about Hunter during the trial, though, was the allegation that he'd been there when she first tried crack cocaine. "It was a terrible experience I went through and I'm embarrassed and I'm ashamed. I regret that time in my life," she said (via the New York Post). Guess she and Hunter are on the same page about their relationship being a mistake, then! 

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Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden split by 2019, and in the time since, both have gone on to find love again. Hunter wed Melissa Cohen in 2020, and in 2024, Hallie married John Hopkins Anning. Sadly for the latter couple, though, their newlywedded bliss coincided with Hunter's gun trial. 

Anning addressed the fact that he and Hallie said their vows just days ahead of the trial with NBC News. "It's not a great way to start the honeymoon," he quipped to the outlet. Jokes aside, Anning also admitted the entire situation was tough for his bride to go through, describing the trial as being "very hard on her." Even so, NBC News reported that he and Hallie had waved to one another while she was on a break, so all signs seem to point to the high-drama situation not getting them down. 

Between the death of her first husband and the dysfunctional relationship she went on to have with her brother-in-law, there's no question that Hallie has been through a lot over the years. Here's hoping her new marriage marks a clean slate and that things only get better for her from here on out.