Having a relationship that lasts decades is rare. But Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden seem to have found the hack to an ever-lasting marriage. The duo dated for almost two years before taking the sacred vows in 1977. The story of how they first met and fell in love is nothing but magical.
Joe Biden lost his first wife, Neilia Biden, and their 1-year-old daughter, in a tragic accident in 1972. Three years later, his brother set him up for a blind date with Jill, who divorced her first husband, Bill Stevenson in the same year.
Though both of them were dealing with their pasts, they eventually fell in love with each other.
Together, they have raised three children and have been with each other through thick and thin. Putting it together in one frame, you realise they have an ideal relationship that most people aspire to have. However, over the years, people have witnessed several strange things about their marriage.
1. Jill Biden was reluctant to marry Joe Biden
Jill and Joe Biden wouldn’t have been a couple if Joe hadn’t been so adamant. After their first date, Jill said to herself, “God, this is never going to work, not in a million years.” The 9-year age gap further made her believe that they weren’t meant for each other. But eventually, she started to adore Joe.
A 2016 report by Vogue discloses that Joe proposed to Jill five times before she finally said ‘yes’. Apart from the age gap, she also felt that marrying a politician wouldn’t be best for her as she believed she would have to give up her career, independence and individuality.
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Stating why Jill took her time to commit, Jill told the portal, “I said, ‘Not Yet. Not Yet. Not Yet.’ Because by that time, of course, I had fallen in love with the boys, and I really felt that this marriage had to work. Because they had lost their mom, and I couldn’t have them lose another mother.”
During his fifth proposal, Joe gave Jill an ultimatum, saying that he was asking her for the last time. He told her, “I don’t care when we get married. But I want a commitment.”
2. Jill Biden pulled off a big stunt in 2004
Jill Biden went to extreme lengths to stop Joe Biden from running for office in 2004. The chaos started when the Democratic Party was hell-bent on trying to convince Joe Biden for the same, even though Joe and Jill Biden had mutually decided against it. In Where the Lights Enter, Jill recalled the moment when she had enough and decided to do something about it.
The Party leaders were sitting in the living room trying to convince Joe for hours, while she was sitting by the pool in a swimsuit. “I decided I needed to contribute to this conversation. As I walked through the kitchen, a Sharpie caught my eye. I drew NO on my stomach in big letters and marched through the room in my bikini, Jill told The Hill.
“Needless to say, they got the message,” she concluded.
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3. Joe Biden often confuses other women for his wife
Imagine having a partner by your side for decades and still mistaking other people for them. Well, Joe Biden has made headlines for such awkward moments quite a few times. Fans noticed it during his Super Tuesday Speech in 2020 when he mistakenly introduced his sister, Valeria, as his wife, Jill. He realized the goof-up almost immediately and explained that they had switched places without him noticing.
There was another incident when Joe Biden was seen having an intense conversation with a woman, thinking that she was Jill. The conversation only ended when Jill intervened and came to his rescue.
And one time, he even accidentally called Kamala Harris his wife. In March 2022, during a speech, he was explaining Harris’s absence from the event. He referred to her as the “first lady”, and upon realization, he rectified himself.
As they are growing older, Jill appears to be more of a caregiver than an equal partner. But that is how marriages work. Joe is 82 years old now, and Jill has been trying her best to be the doting wife that she has always been.
