Ashley Biden, Daughter of Joe and Jill Biden, Files for Divorce After 13 Years of Marriage
Ashley Biden, the daughter of former President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, has filed for divorce from her husband, Dr. Howard Krein, after more than 13 years of marriage. According to court records, the 44-year-old submitted the filing on Monday in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia. The reason for the separation remains undisclosed, as divorce filings in Philadelphia are not publicly accessible.
The filing marks a significant personal transition for Ashley, who appeared to allude to the change on social media. On Instagram, she shared a photo of herself walking through a park and flashing a thumbs-up while Beyoncé’s “Freedom” played in the background. In another post, she shared a quote reading, “New life, new beginnings, means new boundaries,” signaling what appeared to be a message of renewal and independence.
Ashley and Dr. Krein, a prominent plastic surgeon, were introduced by her late brother, Beau Biden, and married in June 2012 in Delaware. During her speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Ashley fondly reminisced about the wedding, revealing that her father — then Vice President — took an active role in the planning process, down to the floral arrangements and table settings.
The personal development comes at a turbulent time for her father, who is facing mounting political and legal scrutiny. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has raised questions about the former president’s mental fitness, alleging that cognitive decline during his tenure may have affected the legality of certain executive orders and presidential pardons — particularly those signed using an autopen. Comer has suggested that such actions could face legal challenges if Biden did not personally authorize them.
Constitutional scholars, including Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, have weighed in on the controversy, noting that serious constitutional issues could arise if evidence showed Biden failed to personally approve major executive decisions. The debate intensified following Biden’s faltering performance in the 2024 presidential debate, after which several aides reportedly acknowledged that he had not individually reviewed every name included in his broad clemency actions.
Ashley Biden’s divorce filing, juxtaposed against her father’s deepening political challenges, underscores a period of personal and public reckoning for one of America’s most scrutinized families.