Joe Biden’s Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Timeline Clarified in New Statement from Spokesperson
The former president was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer on May 16
Former President Joe Biden was last screened for prostate cancer in 2014
The former president was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer on Friday, May 16
A representative for Biden now confirms that the former president was never previously diagnosed with the disease until May 2025
A representative for former U.S. President Joe Biden is revealing new details on his prostate cancer diagnosis.
In a statement to NBC News, Reuters and CBS News on Tuesday, May 20, a spokesperson for the former president, 82, said he received his last Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test in 2014, when he would’ve been in his early 70s. The spokesperson confirmed that Biden was not diagnosed with cancer until Friday, May 16.
“President Biden’s last known PSA was in 2014. Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer,” the spokesperson said.
The PSA test is a blood test that screens for “prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood. PSA is a protein produced by both cancerous and noncancerous tissue in the prostate, a small gland that sits below the bladder in males,” per the Mayo Clinic.
Most prostate cancer diagnoses are discovered when the disease is in its early stages and has not spread to other parts of the body. Only 8% of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed after the disease has spread to other parts of the body, as is the case with Biden’s, NBC News reports.
The level of aggression of the cancer is determined by the Gleason score and grade system. Biden’s cancer has a Gleason score of 9 and is Grade 5, meaning it’s a “very high grade,” per the Mayo Clinic.
The updated timeline of Biden’s diagnosis comes in response to questions about why his cancer was not discovered sooner, due to its advanced stage.
Donald Trump Jr. shared an unfounded allegation that Biden concealed the diagnosis during his time in the White House, and was secretly battling cancer during the late stages of his presidency.
“What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???” President Donald Trump’s eldest son, 47, wrote of the 73-year-old former first lady, whose doctorate degree is in education.
On Sunday, May 18, Biden’s personal office announced in a statement that the former president had been diagnosed with the disease.
“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” the statement said.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” the statement continued. “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
In a follow-up post shared to X, Biden posted a photo of himself with his wife, former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and the couple’s cat, Willow.
“Cancer touches us all,” Biden wrote. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
George Wendt Died 32 Years to the Day the Cheers Finale Aired. Here’s What He Said About the Beloved Show
On May 20, Wendt’s publicist Melissa Nathan confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that the late actor died at age 76
George Wendt died on the 32nd anniversary of the ‘Cheers’ finale
Over the course of his career, the late actor has reflected on his iconic character Norm Peterson and the memories he’s formed with the cast
From his audition to how he and the cast celebrated the series finale, here’s everything Wendt has said about the beloved show
George Wendt, known for his beloved portrayal as Norm Peterson on Cheers, has died on the 32nd anniversary of the series finale.
The actor died on the morning of Tuesday, May 20 at age 76. In a statement to PEOPLE, his publicist Melissa Nathan confirmed, “Beloved actor and comedian, George Wendt, best known for starring in the NBC hit comedy Cheers, has passed away.”
“George’s family confirmed the news of his death early Tuesday morning, announcing he died peacefully in his sleep while at home,” the statement continued. “George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever.”
“The family has requested privacy during this time,” it concluded.
Wendt’s death comes after he and his former costar John Ratzenberger, who played Cliff Clavin on the hit NBC sitcom, reunited to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of the finale in 2023 to say goodbye yet again to the iconic bar, which was up for auction in Dallas.
“It was fantastic, so great to see the bar,” Wendt told news outlet WHDH 7 of visiting the before before it went into new ownership.
At the time, the late actor revealed that the cast still stayed in touch but admitted, “We catch each other in bits and pieces. It’s kind of hard. It’s like herding cats trying to get us all together.”
The actual Cheers set was based on the Bull and Finch Pub in Boston. The show, which aired on NBC from 1982 to 1993, followed the locals that frequented that locale, and also starred Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Woody Harrelson, Rhea Perlman and Nicholas Colasanto.
Wendt became a household name for his portrayal of Norm and went on to become a six-time Emmy nominee over the course of the show’s run.
In GQ’s 2012 oral history of the legendary sitcom, Wendt confessed that he didn’t have high hopes when he initially auditioned for the role. At the time, he had spent six years in Chicago’s renowned Second City improv troupe before landing the part that would change his life.
“My agent said, ‘It’s a small role, honey. It’s one line. Actually, it’s one word.’ The word was ‘beer,'” he recalled. “I was having a hard time believing I was right for the role of ‘the guy who looked like he wanted a beer.’ So I went in, and they said, ‘It’s too small a role. Why don’t you read this other one?’ And it was a guy who never left the bar.”
George Wendt and Jason Sudeikis attend “I Can’t Believe They Wendt There: The Roast Of George Wendt” on September 9, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.
When the series inevitably ended in 1993, Wendt recalled visiting the Bull and Finch Pub to commemorate the special occasion with his costars. Though the beer the cast drank on set was always nonalcoholic, the late actor confessed he and the cast was “tipsy” as the watched the finale and then appeared on The Tonight Show immediately after.
″We had been drinking heavily for two hours but nobody thought to feed us,” Wendt told the Beaver County Times of Pennsylvania in 2009. “We were nowhere near as cute as we thought we were.”
After spending 11 years together, the cast became very close and formed a bond that lasted beyond the series finale.
In 1993, Wendt’s wife told PEOPLE of the Cheers cast, “They get along like siblings. To somebody peeking in from the outside, they look like they’re having the greatest time in the world.”