Before they were the President and First Lady, Joe and Jill Biden were just two people trying to rebuild their lives after heartbreak.
Nearly five decades later, their love story has become one of the most quietly enduring relationships in American political life—rooted in grief, grit, and an unexpected phone call that changed everything.
A Love Story Born from Tragedy
In 1972, just six weeks after winning his Senate seat, Joe Biden’s world shattered. A car crash killed his wife Neilia and baby daughter Naomi, and left his sons Beau and Hunter badly injured. The future president was sworn in at his sons’ hospital bedside.
“The incredible bond I have with my children is the gift I’m not sure I would have had, had I not been through what I went through,” Joe later said.
For years, he poured everything into fatherhood—until a blind date set up by his brother changed his life.
“How Did You Get This Number?”
In 1975, Biden called a 20-something college student named Jill Tracy Jacobs. She had just gone through a divorce and wasn’t expecting to hear from a senator.
“How did you get this number?” she asked.
That was the start.
He showed up for their first date in a sport coat and loafers—totally not her usual type. But after watching A Man and a Woman at the movies, Jill called her mother at 1 a.m. and gushed:
“Mom, I finally met a gentleman.”
Five Proposals and a Promise
Despite the spark, it took five marriage proposals before Jill said yes. She wasn’t hesitant about love—but about getting it right.
“By that time, of course, I had fallen in love with the boys,” she later said. “And I really felt that this marriage had to work.”
Eventually, Joe told her he needed a commitment—no timeline, just a yes. She gave it.
On June 17, 1977, Joe and Jill were married in a private ceremony at the United Nations Chapel in New York, with just 40 guests. Joe’s sons stood beside them at the altar, and the family left together for their honeymoon.
“We weren’t just getting married,” Jill once said. “We were becoming a family.”
A Marriage of Equals
By the time Joe became Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008, Jill had already built a respected career in education. She earned her doctorate, taught community college, and worked with emotionally disturbed teens.
Joe introduced her on the national stage with trademark humor:
“My wife, Jill—who’s drop-dead gorgeous—also has a doctorate degree, which is a problem.”
Through campaigns, grief, and history-making moments, their bond remained grounded in respect and shared purpose. Jill, who has traveled the globe as First Lady, says they often challenge each other’s views—but that’s part of what keeps them growing.
Still Crazy in Love
Even after decades together, Joe often speaks about Jill with unfiltered affection.
“My heart still skips a beat when she walks down the stairs,” he said in a 2020 interview.
On Inauguration Day 2021, he posted a video of them walking hand in hand with the caption:
“I love you, Jilly, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have you with me on the journey ahead.”
Fans have called them “a real love story in politics.” One comment on a 1975 throwback photo summed it up:
“Real people. Real family. Models of decency, resilience, empathy and service.”
The Diagnosis That Changed Everything Again
In May 2025, the Bidens faced another life-altering moment. Joe Biden was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer—a serious, aggressive form of the disease that had already spread to his bones.
Doctors gave him a Gleason score of 9, one of the highest risk categories. The cancer was discovered after he reported urinary symptoms, and scans revealed metastasis just days later.
“This won’t be easy,” one physician said. “But it’s a battle he’s not fighting alone.”
While the cancer is hormone-sensitive—meaning treatment could slow its growth—it remains incurable. The former president is now considering hormone therapy, ARTA drugs, and chemotherapy.
Still, sources say Jill hasn’t left his side.
Their marriage began with one unexpected call. Five decades later, they’re facing life’s hardest chapter—together.
As Jill once said: “This marriage had to work.” And against all odds, it has.
