Joe Biden’s Daughter Ashley Biden Files for Divorce After 13 Years

Ashley Biden and Howard Krein are going their separate ways.

On August 11, Joe Biden’s daughter initiated a divorce proceeding from her husband, a plastic surgeon, following over thirteen years of matrimony. Her representative verified this news to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The 44-year-old submitted documents to the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia, and shortly afterward, she shared a picture on Instagram Stories of herself giving a thumbs-up while walking through a park with Beyoncé’s “Freedom” song playing in the background.

The former First Daughter then shared a few inspirational quotes to her Stories.  

Starting fresh implies setting new limits. Embracing novel ways of living that won’t resemble or sound like they used to.” This quote was displayed during Lauryn Hill’s song “Freedom Time.” Another quote, this time from Bob Marley, goes: “Let your smile transform the world, but make sure the world doesn’t alter your smile.

Approximately ten years following their wedding in 2012 at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Greenville, Delaware, Ashley and Howard are now divorcing.

At that moment, the vice president (at that time) was present to guide the bride, beautifully dressed in a Vera Wang gown, down the aisle. Her mother, Jill Biden, her brothers Hunter and Beau Biden (who sadly passed away), all looked on with pride from the audience.

As the big day approached, I found myself frequently reminding Ash, “We really need to rehearse walking down the aisle so I can get comfortable with it.” I couldn’t help but reflect, “Oh dear, it seems like just yesterday she was a little girl. Time truly does fly by.

Despite being 82 years old and having lost his daughter Naomi Biden and wife Neilia Biden, he shares a strong bond with his youngest child. They stand united to counter any unfavorable remarks directed towards their family.

Ashley shared with Elle magazine during their April 2023 Impact Issue that true strength lies in maintaining kindness even as the world becomes increasingly cruel. In essence, she has been striving to uphold this virtue lately, remaining compassionate and grounded, despite the world’s attempts to inflict pain upon her or her family.

However, she quickly found that killing the critics with kindness was easier said than done.

She expressed that when someone you deeply care for is criticized, it’s a natural response to feel irritated because there are unfair and false accusations circulating, which she referred to as nonsense.

If my family wasn’t as tight-knit, it wouldn’t have been such a challenge, but they are. My family is my sanctuary, making the hardest part for me being unable to fathom (a) statements that were untrue and (b) people acting so cruelly towards me simply based on their feelings towards my father.

For a deeper dive into the Biden family, keep reading…

30 years old and a senator at the time, Joe Biden was left a widower in 1972 following the car crash that took the life of his wife Neilia Hunter Biden, as well as their baby daughter Naomi. In the wake of this tragedy, he dedicated himself to raising their sons Beau and Hunter, temporarily setting aside romantic pursuits.

Frank Biden hadn’t given him Jill Jacobs’ phone number until a few years ago, which is when he got it and it wasn’t on the stove before that.

In my 2007 memoir, “Promises to Keep“, I penned that finding love anew with the future first lady restored my life. She sparked a renewed hope within me that perhaps my family could once more feel complete.

Joe and Jill married on June 17, 1977.

The president often refers to his deceased son, Beau Biden III, who served as an Army major and was Delaware’s attorney general for two terms before passing away from glioblastoma in 2015 at the age of 46.

In a conversation with The New York Times following the publication of his 2017 memoir, “Promise Me, Dad,” Joe shared that Beau, his father, was governed by a strong sense of honor. While this might seem unusual, it was a fact. His father had a saying: ‘Never explain and never complain.’ Remarkably, Beau never complained, not even a single time.

In simpler terms, during Beau’s final days, Joe mentioned that his son had a profound realization about his own mortality. He had witnessed Beau cope with the loss of his mother and sister. Rather than retreating into himself, Beau didn’t want Joe to lose hope in the vitality of life.

During his brother’s funeral tribute, Hunter reminisced about his initial recollection of Beau, which was waking up together in a hospital following a car accident in 1972, an incident that also claimed their mother and sister.

On the eve of his inauguration in January 2020, at a National Guard/Army Reserve facility honoring his son, Joe expressed his immense pride in hailing from Delaware.

Furthermore, it fills me with great pride to be here, carrying out these duties at the Major Beau Biden facility. Now, dear friends, my sole disappointment is that he isn’t present. We ought to have been introducing him as our President instead.

In the year 2002, Beau tied the knot with Hallie Biden (formerly known as Olivere). Their union brought forth a daughter named Natalie Naomi Biden in 2004, and a son named Robert Hunter Biden II followed in 2006.

In 2016, after the passing of his son Beau, Joe ultimately chose not to pursue a presidential bid. However, Ron Olivere, Hallie’s father, shared with Delaware’s News Journal that Joe had first sought counsel from his daughter before seriously considering the decision.

“Her response,” Ron said, “was, ‘Pop, we’re behind you all the way. We’re behind you 100 percent.'”

Natalie, who was 10 when her father passed away, shared on TODAY before her grandfather’s inauguration in January 2020 that Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday. She explained that the reason for this is because they typically visit Nantucket…[cousin] Maisy and I, along with my grandfather, uncle, and father used to participate in a Polar Bear plunge in Nantucket every November.

In the year 2023, she completed her education at St. Andrew’s School, a place where parts of “Dead Poets Society” were filmed, located in Middletown, Delaware. Following this, she chose to attend the University of Pennsylvania, an institution that holds a special place in her father’s history.

Natalie attended a May 2024 State Dinner for the president of Kenya with date Rafael Hajjar.

Hunter, Beau and Hallie’s son nicknamed after his uncle, maintains a low-key lifestyle yet attends significant family milestones such as inaugurations.

During a townhall discussion hosted by Anderson Cooper on CNN in March 2020, Joe mentioned that Beau’s children resided close to him and Jill in Delaware. As social distancing was crucial then, we would often converse from our back porch while they sat on the lawn with two chairs, discussing their daily activities, school closures, and the usual sibling squabbles.

In 2021, the president and his wife were present at the confirmation of their grandson at the long-standing church of the family, Saint Joseph on the Brandywine, where they both attended the ceremony.

Robert Hunter Biden, who was born on February 4, 1970, is a Yale Law School alumnus who has been open about his fight against substance addiction and other personal difficulties.

In June 2024, it was determined that he had committed three felonies: lying twice about drug use on a federal firearm application form, and possessing a gun while under the influence or addicted to illegal substances. Prior to his father’s pardon in December, he was looking at a potential prison sentence of up to 25 years.

Hunter also pled guilty to tax-avoidance charges in September.

Despite being overshadowed by unfavorable news, Hunter was rarely present at his father’s campaign events during the year 2020.

Or:

Amid a deluge of negative media coverage, Hunter seldom attended his father’s campaign events in the year 2020.

Both paraphrases convey the same meaning while using different phrasing to make it more natural and easy to read.

Hunter shared with The New Yorker in 2019 that he and Beau had been present since their father’s first political campaign, carried there as infants in baskets. He explained that they were always by his side at every significant event related to his career, including the smallest ones. Hunter added that he never missed any of his father’s rallies. The thought of not being with his father in Philadelphia, near the Rocky statue, is deeply emotional for him and causes both of them distress. According to Hunter, his father says ‘Be here,’ and his mother echoes this sentiment, but at what personal cost?

In simpler terms, Hunter, who addressed remotely during his father’s official acceptance of the Democratic nomination at the convention in August 2020, was present physically on November 7 for Joe Biden’s victory speech in Wilmington.

And despite his troubles, Hunter remains one of the president’s closest advisors.

In 1993, the individual who graduated from Yale Law School tied the knot with Kathleen Buhle. Together, they have three children: Naomi King Biden (born on December 23, 1993), Finnegan Biden (born September 9, 2000), and Maisy Biden (born in 2001).

In 2015, the couple parted ways, with Kathleen listing drug abuse and infidelity as some of her husband’s flaws in her separation papers she filed later.

After Beau’s passing, Hunter developed a romantic connection with his brother’s widow, Hallie. In an interview with Page Six, he expressed their good fortune in finding solace and love in each other during trying times, a sentiment that has been evident to those closest to them. He added that they have been blessed with the unwavering support of family and friends throughout their journey.

The oldest offspring of the Hunter completed their undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by attendance at Columbia Law School. Currently, they are working as an associate at Arnold & Porter.

In simpler terms, it turns out that Naomi and Tiffany Trump, daughters of different political figures, studied together at Penn. Interestingly, both Donald Trump (who later became president) and Joe Biden attended their graduation ceremony in 2016. Fast forward to the summer of 2018, Tiffany shared a picture on social media showing her enjoying time with Naomi in the Hamptons.

Naomi mentioned that her grandfather, who held the position of Vice President for two terms under President Barack Obama, is always ready to take a call from any of his grandchildren, regardless of where he is.

She stated on PBS Newshour in August 2020 that “During his speech on stage, they would contact him and he’d respond, ‘What’s the issue?!’

For several months leading up to their November 19, 2022 wedding on the South Lawn, Naomi and now-spouse Peter Neal resided with her grandparents at the White House while making preparations for their special day.

Naomi shared with Vogue following her wedding, “I make an effort to remember it’s the White House, but gradually, it becomes more ordinary.

On election day Nov. 5, Naomi announced she and her husband were expecting their first child. 

As a lifestyle connoisseur, I recently had the joy of witnessing the beautiful naming ceremony of my second-born. My partner and I chose to honor my father’s mother by bestowing our child with her names: Catherine Eugenia “Jean” Finnegan. It was a heartfelt decision, as we wanted to keep her memory alive in our family lineage.

In 2021, she earned her degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and since then, she’s been a consistent presence at various notable events in Washington D.C. and beyond, such as the coronation of King Charles III in April 2023, where she was with grandma Jill.

At the graduation ceremony of Penn University in 2023, the president and first lady were present, as they were there to witness Hunter and Kathleen’s youngest child receiving their diploma.

Although Finnegan’s sister keeps her Instagram account private, feel free to explore Maisie’s artwork and peeks into her life on her publicly accessible profile instead.

Additionally, she takes pleasure in both formal and casual styles. For instance, she donned a structured dark suit – complete with a jacket and trousers – alongside Air Jordans at her grandfather’s inauguration. At the October 2023 White House State Dinner for the Australian prime minister, she chose a Brooks Brothers pinstripe suit instead.

In the month of May, 2019, Hunter got married to the South African filmmaker Melissa Cohen, in a rooftop wedding ceremony held in Los Angeles. This union followed a series of romantic weeks together.

As reported by The New Yorker, only a few days following their initial date, Hunter got a “shalom” (which means hello, goodbye, and peace in Hebrew) tattooed inside his left bicep to match Melissa’s existing ink. Shortly thereafter, on May 15th, he went ahead and proposed to her.

The following day, after her affirmative response, he arranged for wedding rings, and a marriage ceremony, with an officiant provided.

Hunter shared with the magazine that he phoned his father to announce their recent marriage. His dad was on speakerphone and responded by thanking the person who’d given him the courage to love again. Then, he told Hunter, “Son, when I saw you found love again, I knew I’d get my boy back.” To which Hunter replied, “Dad, I never stopped loving. The only thing that made me see it clearly was your unwavering faith in me and your refusal to give up on me.

Hunter and Melissa welcomed son Joseph Robinette “Beau” Biden IV on March 28, 2020.

In 2019, Lunden Alexis Roberts filed a lawsuit for child support against Hunter Biden, claiming that he was the father of her daughter Navy, who was born in August 2018.

Initially, I vehemently disputed any claims of a romantic involvement with Lunden. However, come January 2020, an Arkansas judge sanctioned a paternity agreement following a DNA test confirmation that I was indeed the biological father.

Or:

At first, I strongly refuted allegations of a sexual relationship with Lunden. Yet, in January 2020, an Arkansas court approved a paternity order, as a DNA test unequivocally established my role as the child’s biological parent.

Afterward, the hunter consented to regularly pay a secret sum as child support, as reported by CNBC.

Recognizing that he now has seven grandchildren for the first time, the president made a statement to People, saying, “Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are collaborating to nurture a relationship beneficial to their daughter. They will strive to protect her privacy as much as feasible in the future.

He went on to say, “This isn’t about politics; it’s a personal concern for us as a family. Jill and I are simply aiming for the well-being of all our grandkids, which includes Navy too.

On June 9, 1981, Joe and his partner Jill Biden were blessed with the arrival of their sole child, Ashley Blazer Biden.

A graduate from Tulane University earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice in 2010, and she served as the Associate Director at the Delaware Center for Justice for over seven years.

In 2017, Ashley established the clothing label Livelihood. The emblem of this brand – the letters “LH” crossed by an arrow – serves as a memorial to her deceased brother, Beau.

Ashley clarified to The Lily back in June 2020 that we often need a significant setback to propel us ahead. “He was like a bow for me,” she said, referring to the cancer he had. “It knocked me down to my knees, leaving me no other option but to move forward, persist, and continue pursuing my own aspirations.

Joe expressed great admiration for her when she showcased her collection during New York Fashion Week,” TopMob News reported. “Ever since she was just three, she has been striving to make a difference in the world, and I truly believe she will succeed.

Ashley shared with TODAY that she intends to utilize her position as first daughter to champion social justice, mental health awareness, and participate in local community development and renewal efforts.

Regarding the harsh criticism aimed at her family, particularly her father and brother Hunter, she shared with Elle magazine in 2023 that “The true display of strength lies in maintaining kindness even as the world grows increasingly unkind.

She didn’t hold back her anger; instead, she expressed it as a natural response, saying, “It’s only natural for anyone who deeply cares about someone to feel upset when they are targeted,” and then emphasized that the information circulating was completely false.

Ashley encountered her spouse Beau’s connection, Dr. Howard (who specializes in plastic surgery, teaches otolaryngology, and serves as the top medical executive at StartUp Health), somehow.

The doctor sought approval from his future father-in-law, which he received, and proposed to Ashley at sunset on a cliff in Big Sur, California. In June 2012, they got married in a joint Catholic and Jewish ceremony at the church in Delaware where she was baptized. This church served as their wedding venue.

In simpler terms, Joe said to People magazine before the wedding, “I can’t believe it’s gone by so fast – my little girl! But, I truly believe this is the right man, and he’s marrying an extraordinary woman.

Joe is the oldest among four siblings, and Valerie Biden Owens, his sister, has often been present on the political campaigns that have marked his life. Interestingly, she has served as his most trusted political advisor for nearly five decades.

In a conversation with Axios following her brother’s victory in the 2020 election, she said, “We all know him as an eloquent speaker,” but privately she added, “Joe Biden is always speaking, just like now. However, my brother excels not only in speaking but also in listening.

In a conversation about it, Valerie casually mentioned that if he were to become president officially, she would refer to him as “Joey” or simply “Joe”. Alternatively, she hinted that if he addressed her as ‘First Sister’, she would address him as ‘Mr. President’.

Naomi posted on October 22, 2020, during the final stretch of the presidential campaign: “To reach Joe Biden, one must first go through us…We may not appear threatening, but keep in mind, our grandmother is Dr. Biden.

On November 7th, 2020, I was fortunate enough to have my grandpa win an election, and later that day, I proudly posted a picture of his eldest grandkids embracing him in joy when they learned the news.

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2025-08-12 18:48