Joe Biden Seen Wearing Large Knee Brace as Cancer Becomes ‘Very Painful’

Former President Joe Biden made a rare appearance alongside daughter Ashley Biden this week — and a large brace covering much of his left leg quickly drew attention amid growing concerns about the 83-year-old’s health.

Ashley, 45, shared the photo to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, August 26, showing the father and daughter spending a quiet evening together in a lush backyard.

Biden appeared cheerful in the snapshot, smiling while wearing a white collared golf shirt, navy shorts and holding a phone in his hand.

But the bulky brace stretching from his left thigh to below his knee was hard to miss.

The new photo comes just weeks after Biden was photographed wearing a smaller black knee brace during an August 14 shopping trip at an Old Navy in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Neither Biden nor his representatives have publicly explained why he is wearing the brace.

The image takes on added significance as the former president battles an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread beyond his prostate.

Biden’s office announced in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 9 and that the disease had already metastasized to his bones. Officials said at the time that the cancer was hormone-sensitive, meaning treatment options remained available.

The diagnosis came less than four months after Biden left the White House following years of intense questions surrounding his age, stamina and ability to handle the demands of the presidency.

Now, his son Hunter Biden has revealed that his father’s condition has apparently worsened.

During an emotional BBC Newsnight interview earlier this month, Hunter said the cancer had spread beyond his father’s bones.

“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” Hunter said, describing his father’s condition as “very painful” and “very debilitating.”

Hunter added that watching his father suffer has been extremely difficult.

Despite the devastating diagnosis, Biden has continued making occasional public appearances and speaking about political issues, although he has remained far less visible since leaving office.

Ashley, meanwhile, has offered occasional glimpses into the Biden family’s private life.

Unlike Hunter, Ashley largely stayed away from the political spotlight during her father’s presidency. The social worker never took on a major public-facing White House role, but she frequently shares family photos featuring both Joe and former first lady Jill Biden.

A July social media post included Jill in a collection Ashley called “Moments & Music Mid-Summer,” while another family photo posted in June showed Ashley posing with both parents near what appeared to be the pond at the Bidens’ Greenville, Delaware, property.

Delaware has long served as Biden’s refuge from Washington.

Even during his presidency, Biden frequently traveled home on weekends, splitting time between his Greenville residence and the family’s beach house in Rehoboth Beach.

His frequent trips away from the White House became a recurring source of criticism among Republicans, who accused the administration of shielding the aging president from scrutiny as questions mounted over his health and fitness for office.

Those questions exploded during the 2024 presidential campaign and ultimately helped push Biden out of the race after a disastrous debate performance intensified concerns about his age.

Today, however, the political battles surrounding Biden have largely been replaced by a far more personal struggle.

His family is now confronting an aggressive cancer diagnosis that Hunter says has become increasingly painful — while the latest photograph of the former president wearing a substantial leg brace is likely to fuel even more questions about how he is physically holding up.