Joe Biden's son Hunter secretly marries South African girlfriend just a month after split from late brother's widow
Hunter Biden, who is the younger son of former vice president and current presidential hopeful Joe Biden, recently got married to Melissa Cohen, a South African native. Multiple reports have said that the couple tied the knot in Los Angeles on May 16. It was also reported that the couple first met the same month they got married but already have matching tattoos. Joe Biden has confirmed his son's marriage since news of the wedding broke.
PEOPLE reported that Melissa's father, Lee, spoke to Page Six and said that he hopes to meet his son-in-law. Speaking of his daughter, he told the publication: "She seems very happy. I’ve only spoken to Hunter briefly. She’s a very special girl. She has lots of poise and she’s very present." The surprise wedding came just a month after Hunter split from the widow of his late brother, Beau Biden.
49-year-old Hunter made headlines in 2017 when his family confirmed that he split from his first wife Kathleen and was dating his former sister-in-law Hallie Biden. It was surprising news considering the family had gone through a great tragedy with the loss of Beau to cancer in 2015 at the age of 46.
Hunter told Page Six at that time: "Hallie and I are incredibly lucky to have found the love and support we have for each other in such a difficult time, and that’s been obvious to the people who love us most. We’ve been so lucky to have family and friends who have supported us every step of the way." In his own statement, father Biden said that he and Dr. Jill Biden, the matriarch of the family, stood behind the new relationship.
The former vice president said: "We are all lucky that Hunter and Hallie found each other as they were putting their lives together again after such sadness. They have mine and Jill’s full and complete support and we are happy for them."
Hunter gave a statement to Vanity Fair earlier this year talking about his relationship with ex-wife Kathleen and his divorce. Kathleen had claimed that he spent copious amounts of money on drugs and prostitutes which created "financial concerns for the family".
Biden’s brother Jim told People in 2017 that Hunter and Kathleen “had been estranged for quite some time,” and a friend said Beau’s decline and death compounded their problems.