Hunter Biden has told the BBC he is “the most privileged person there is” after receiving a presidential pardon from his father, former US President Joe Biden, acknowledging it was not a good choice for America or his father’s legacy.

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC’s Newsnight, Hunter Biden defended the controversial pardon, revealed his father’s “painful” cancer has spread, ruled out seeking elected office and spoke about helping others recover from addiction.

Asked about the 2024 pardon, he said he understood the criticism but noted: “What would you have thought of my dad if he did not do that for me.”

“It’s something that is easily criticised and for good reason,” he added.

“It’s not fair… All I know is that I’m grateful that he did it for me,” he said, acknowledging the pardon was “not good” for the American people, the Constitution – or his father’s legacy.

He argued to the BBC that his father ultimately acted out of concern that he would become a target under Donald Trump’s incoming administration.

“I was the only one in the world that could have gotten what I got from the only person in the world who could give it, my father.”

Hunter Biden also insisted he and his father had never discussed the possibility of a pardon before it was granted.

“There is no way that you can have those kinds of discussions that would not become public,” he said.

President Biden granted his son a full and unconditional pardon in December 2024, despite repeatedly saying beforehand that he would not use the powers of the presidency to intervene in his son’s legal cases. In announcing the decision, the former president said his son had been “selectively and unfairly prosecuted”.

The pardon covered his son’s federal gun conviction, a tax case he’d pled guilty to and any federal offences committed between 2014 and 2024.

Asked about the depths of his addiction, he described drinking almost a gallon of vodka a day while smoking crack cocaine almost every 15 minutes at its worst.

“It was hell on earth,” he said. “There’s nothing glamorous about it.”

Reflecting on why he turned to drugs and alcohol, Hunter Biden rejected the suggestion that he felt untouchable because he was the son of a president.

“I wasn’t reaching for anything except oblivion,” he said. He noted that his addiction was a way to escape feelings of anxiety and isolation.

The drugs and alcohol initially felt like a solution before becoming “the thing that almost killed me”, he noted.

Hunter Biden got emotional at times in the interview, notably when discussing his father’s health.

Cancer is really hard,” he said, stopping to clear his throat. “It’s really sad to watch.”

He revealed that the “cancer has spread, metastasised into his bones and further. It’s very painful” and “very debilitating”.

“My dad is, to this day, the centre of our family,” he said. “He’s the best father, the best husband, the best grandfather.”

“The only thing that I say about my dad, about his health right now, is I wish he would complain more.”

Hunter Biden also reflected on the presidential debate in June 2024 that ultimately ended his father’s re-election campaign. He said he had watched it from his home in California and immediately sensed something was wrong.

“I was shocked,” he said. “I knew something was wrong.”

Hunter Biden has previously argued that his father’s poor debate performance reflected physical exhaustion after extensive travel. Following Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis, he has also questioned whether the illness may already have been affecting his father.

He said his father remains politically engaged and determined to continue speaking publicly.

When asked about rumours that he might enter politics – or even make a run for the presidency – Biden said he himself had “no interest in elected politics” and dismissed any suggestion that he would one day seek office.

Instead, Biden said he wanted to devote his time to speaking about addiction and recovery, which he described as a cause capable of bridging America’s political divides.

“I believe that addiction and the hope of recovery are something that connect us all,” he said.

Asked what made him proudest of his father, Hunter Biden pointed not to his years in public office but to his resilience.

“I’m most proud of his resilience,” he said. “He’s proven time and time again that when you get knocked down, you can get up.

“He’s the toughest man I know.”