Hunter Biden's Ex-Wife Wrote a Book About Their Marriage Under a "Blanket of Denial"

Being married to the son of an important politician means your life is going to be filled with unexpected twists and turns. Some more than others. For Kathleen Buhle, ex-wife of Hunter Biden who is the son of President Joe Biden, life took many unexpected turns.

She released a book in 2022 that detailed the challenges she faced as her then-husband spiraled in the wake of his brother's death in 2015, and the way she clung to their children to keep the world from spinning out of control. The book If We Break was a painful look at Kathleen's heartbreak as it unraveled in the public eye.

There are few things that strike dread in the pit of the stomach of a public figure faster than the news that an ex-spouse is writing a memoir. While not all relationships have deep and dark secrets, there's always that concern that the ex-partner will reveal things you long hoped to keep under wraps. It could be as sinister as dangerous habits or illegal dealings, or as innocent as picking your toenails in bed. For Hunter Biden, Kathleen is the bearer of the secrets he built in his rapid descent into addiction.

Joe Biden's eldest son Beau, Hunter's older brother, died in 2015 after a battle with brain cancer. After losing his brother, Hunter spiraled rapidly into addiction. Kathleen and Hunter were married in 1993. 22 years and three kids later, it all came tumbling down.

In her book, Kathleen wrote, "In the fall of 2015, I called and texted Hunter compulsively. From my computer, I watched his every move. There were charges at Lake Tahoe at a nail salon and a charge for two lift tickets. I found a credit card charge for $10,000 at a hot tub store in Los Angeles."

She continued, "I found hundreds at liquor stores and strip clubs. The whole time, he told me he was healthy and sober – and I was crazy. I continually told him that I was the one person actually trying to get him sober. It became my own kind of addiction. I didn’t want to admit, to myself or anyone else, how unhealthy our relationship had become, so my struggle was just one more secret."

Hunter also started spending more time with Hallie Biden, the widow of his brother Beau. Kathleen was frustrated as Hunter failed to focus on getting sober, but a therapist encouraged Hunter's bond with Hallie. In If We Break, Kathleen explained, "After the funeral, I saw a purpose in Hunter’s work to set up the Beau Biden Foundation with Hallie and his parents. But he started spending most of his time at Hallie’s house."

A frustrated Kathleen couldn't understand, and she continued, "Our therapist told me Hunter needed to be up there, helping Hallie. ‘But what about his sobriety?’ I asked her. ‘He needs routine. He needs to be home with us.’ [The therapist] held firm that being with Hallie and her kids was an important part of Hunter’s grieving.” But in late 2016, Kathleen learned that Hunter and Hallie were carrying on an affair as Hunter's addiction spread to his brother's widow.

In a 2022 interview with Katie Couric Media, Kathleen explained the book's name. "I parented with a death grip and my mantra was, 'We will not break.' There’s a part in the book when Maisy came to me as I was yelling at Finnegan, and said, 'Mom, what are you doing?' And I said, 'We will not break,' and she responded, 'It’s OK if we break a little.' It was one of those eye-opening moments that brought me to a place of greater honesty."

Kathleen described struggling to confront her husband, and the way she parented their children, Maisy, Naomi, and Finnegan with a "death grip" to try to control what she could about her life as it careened out of control. Ultimately, Kathleen and Hunter divorced in 2017. And although she was honest about the pain she experienced and the chaos she and her children witnessed, Kathleen was relatively gentle in revealing Hunter's darkest moments as he grieved his brother's loss.

When it comes to the numerous crimes Hunter has been accused of, Kathleen says she lived under a "blanket of denial." She explained in the book that it wouldn't matter if they questioned her on his business dealings, as she kept her head buried in the sand about the family's finances. As the Biden family continues to weather controversies centered on Hunter, Kathleen and their children appear to be doing well, sharing sweet moments on social media from time to time.