Hunter Biden married filmmaker and activist Melissa Cohen just six days after they met in 2019.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleHunter Biden’s marriage to his second wife, filmmaker and activist Melissa Cohen, has occurred amid some of the most closely watched controversies involving the Biden family. The couple walked down the aisle just six days after meeting in 2019, and Cohen has since stood by her husband through addiction struggles, federal trials, and renewed attention on his infamous laptop scandal.
The marriage has most recently come into focus in the wake of the controversy surrounding Hunter’s abandoned laptop, which became a major political issue in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election. While the contents of the laptop fueled investigations and controversy over Hunter’s business dealings and personal life, Melissa herself has largely stayed out of the political limelight.
Melissa was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, before moving to the United States and later becoming a naturalised US citizen. She is fluent in five languages, including Hebrew and Italian, and is an activist and an aspiring documentary filmmaker. She was involved in a project called Tribal Worlds, which aimed to explore African tribal communities and their place in humanity’s past, present, and future. The project reportedly sought to raise USD 30,000 in funding.
Before meeting Hunter Biden, Melissa was married to American entrepreneur Jason Landver. The couple reportedly divorced in 2014 after three years of marriage. Hunter was previously married to Kathleen Buhle, with whom he shares three daughters. They separated in 2017, and he later had a relationship with Hallie Biden, the widow of his late brother, Beau Biden.
Melissa met Hunter in Los Angeles in May 2019 through a mutual friend. Their relationship moved quickly, and they married on May 16, just six days after their first meeting. They tied the knot at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in Los Angeles in an intimate rooftop ceremony.
In his memoir, Beautiful Things, Hunter described their connection as "love at first sight". He revealed that after meeting Melissa, he professed his love for her. At the same time, transparency between the pair made their bond stronger.
He also recalled being honest with Melissa about his long struggle with addiction from the beginning of their relationship. According to Hunter, she responded firmly that his drug use had to stop. Before Melissa, his 24-year marriage to Kathleen Anne Buhle also reportedly fell apart due to his addiction battle. Buhle wrote in her memoir If We Break: A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction, and Healing, that Hunter's alcohol dependency and "the merciless power of addiction" broke their marriage.
Hunter confessed his long battle with addiction on his first meeting with Melissa, and the filmmaker responded simply, "Well, not anymore. You're finished with that." He later credited Melissa with helping him pursue sobriety, describing her as his "protector" and "redemption." He wrote about how she supported him during a difficult period and helped him distance himself from people and circumstances associated with his addiction.
The couple welcomed their son, Robert 'Beau' Biden Jr., on March 28, 2020. His name honours Hunter’s late older brother, who died of brain cancer in 2015. Melissa is also a stepmother to Hunter’s children from previous relationships.
Over the years, Melissa has been more than a supportive partner for Hunter. She has been a steady presence with him through public trials, political chaos, and personal battles. The couple's marriage has played out against a backdrop of intense public scrutiny of the Biden family.
Melissa was by Hunter’s side for his federal gun trial in June 2024, often joining him at court. Hunter was convicted of federal offences committed or potentially committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. In December 2024, Hunter’s father, then-President Joe Biden, issued him a full and unconditional pardon.
More recently, FBI documents have shed new light on allegations surrounding Hunter’s personal conduct during the time of the 2020 laptop scandal. Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, two former FBI officials, were charged Friday, October 23, 2026, with lying to Congress.
Floris and Benavides were reportedly overseeing the FBI’s Foreign Intelligence Task Force (FITF), which focuses on foreign interference in US elections, when Hunter Biden’s laptop came to light. Both later testified before Congress that the unit had no involvement in the laptop investigation.
Despite the renewed attention surrounding her husband, Melissa has maintained a relatively private profile, and not much is known about her whereabouts. Her Instagram account is no longer visible.
Read Next: Jenna Bush Hager Calls Out AI Roker For Calling Her 'Big Red' Nickname On Live TV, 'Not Okay!'