Inside the Bidens' Unexpected Romance: Why Jill Thought Her Relationship With Joe Was 'Never Going to Work in a Million Years'
Jill Biden originally thought her relationship with Joe wouldn't work.
June 2 2026, Published 1:25 p.m. ET
Jill Biden said "I do" to her husband, Joe, nearly 50 years ago, but once upon a time, she thought there relationship was "never" going to work.
Ahead of Jill's 75th birthday on Wednesday, June 3, RadarOnline.com revisits the beginnings of their unexpected romance.
Jill and Joe Biden's Heartbreaking Pasts
Jill and Joe Biden had previous marriages before they met.
Jill and Joe both came from past marriages. Three years before they met, the would-be president's first wife, Nelia, and their 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, were tragically killed in a car accident.
Meanwhile, Jill had suffered a loss of a completely different kind. She married her first husband, Bill Stevenson, in 1970, when she was only 18 years old – a decision she would later call a "mistake of youth" in her memoir, Where the Light Shines. They divorced in 1975 after growing apart.
(Decades later, Stevenson would shockingly be charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his then-wife, 64-year-old Linda.)
How They Met
Jill and Joe Biden met on a blind date.
Jill and Joe's love story began in 1975 when they met for the very first time on a blind date.
But the age difference was initially startling. Jill was only 23 or 24 at the time, while Joe was 32 and was a single father to his two sons, Beau and Hunter.
The 74-year-old has also revealed she had been used to dating men in "jeans and clogs and T-shirts," so when she saw Joe in a sports coat and loafers, she was stunned.
"I thought, ‘God, this is NEVER going to work, not in a million years,’" she said.
'I Finally Met a Gentleman'
Joe Biden claimed Jill gave him back his 'life' after the loss of his first wife and baby daughter.
Still, Joe managed to sweep her off her feet that night. He proved himself even more of a chivalrous date when he dropped her off at her home and didn't attempt to steal a kiss goodnight. Instead, he opted to offer her his hand to shake.
That same night, Jill claimed she called her mother and gushed that she's "finally met a gentleman."
The feelings were mutual, and two years later, they tied the knot.
"She gave me back my life," Joe has said of his wife. "She made me start to think my family might be whole again."
'She Can't Get Rid of Me'
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Joe Biden called Jill the 'strongest person' he knows.
Decades have passed since their dating years, but Joe has revealed that he still can't get enough of being around her.
"It’s kind of embarrassing, that everybody notices, but when she’s around, I drive her nuts," he teased. "She can’t get rid of me."
That doesn't mean they haven't had their ups and downs. The former POTUS, 83, confessed that "love is hard" and they've fought over "a lot of things" throughout their marriage, but they find ways to make up in the end.
"She’s the strongest person I know. She has a backbone like a ramrod. She loves fiercely, cares deeply," Joe praised his wife. "As long as we know that the career is less important than the marriage, then it works. Everything works if the marriage works."
