The Shawn Ryan Show: Episode #264 — Hunter Biden

Date: December 22, 2025
Guest: Hunter Biden

Main Theme and Purpose

This episode of "The Shawn Ryan Show" features Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, in a wide-ranging, candid conversation. The discussion covers media narratives, partisanship in America, addiction and recovery, public and private scrutiny, and direct answers to claims about Burisma, the infamous laptop, and legal investigations. The tone is brutally honest and introspective, with both host and guest openly exploring controversial issues, personal pain, and the possibility of national healing.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Media Narratives and Partisan Identity

[01:41 - 10:42]

• Hunter’s View on Shawn as a Host: Praises Shawn for open-mindedness and not letting political labeling define the show or guests.
  • “You're a great listener ... you're open to information and you're not judging it as it's coming over the transom unless it's just fucking outrageous, or somebody's being hateful or lying or insincere.” — Hunter Biden [02:29]
• Hunter’s Values: Emphasizes the shared core values between Americans, regardless of politics: family, country, community, faith.
  • "Our prescription of how to make all those things better may be different …" — Hunter Biden [02:29]
• On Media Narrative Control: Both discuss how mainstream media labels influence public perception, often inaccurately.
  • “Whatever the mainstream media determines, the narrative is going to be about you, that's what it's going to be.” — Shawn Ryan [07:05]
• Effect of Division: The conversation moves into how algorithms and media incentivize division, pushing everyone into echo chambers.

2. American Division, Adversaries, and Systemic Problems

[13:43 - 32:18]

• Who Benefits from American Division?
  • Hunter argues America's adversaries (Russia, China) and the super-wealthy benefit most. The average American is left behind.
    • "We are all the victims of the algorithms that they have caged us in." — Hunter Biden [09:07]
• Parallels with Gilded Age: Hunter draws analogy between today's oligarchs and the 1900s robber barons, noting dangerous wealth concentration.
• AI and Compounding Chaos: Touches on the dangers of unaddressed AI advances, job losses, and the lack of political leadership.
• Desire for Solutions: Both express frustration that real bipartisan action is continually derailed for political gain.

3. Addiction, Transparency, and the Price of Public Scrutiny

[55:43 - 81:07]

• Addiction Under the Microscope:
  • Hunter details his descent into addiction following his brother Beau's death and the impact of public scrutiny, especially during recovery.
    • "When I wake up in the morning, do I want to live or do I want to die? ... I choose to live on life's terms." — Hunter Biden [56:36]
  • He describes the media onslaught: being the subject of continual negative headlines, personal photos splashed in tabloids, living in a “glass house, naked, with the lights on 24/7.”
• Taking Responsibility: Hunter is direct about his failings and is determined not to be defined by his worst moments.
  • "Nobody can hold you accountable more harshly than you hold yourself. ... I'm not going to live in that guilt and shame any more." — Hunter Biden [81:23]
• Family Support & Impact: Recounts the pain addiction caused his children and family, and the importance of their support in his recovery.

4. Growing Up Biden: Family, Politics, and Normalcy

[62:40 - 82:04]

• Upbringing in Delaware: Hunter recounts a “normal” childhood against a backdrop of political tragedy (losing his mother and sister in a car accident), and the close bond with his brother Beau.
  • "Despite the fact that my dad was a senator my whole life, Delaware is a really small place..." — Hunter Biden [66:55]
• Relationship with Father and Stepmother: He describes Joe Biden’s approach to parenting and the family’s closeness, including with stepmom Jill.

5. Politics, Disinformation, and the Trust Deficit

[82:09 - 101:11]

• Joe Biden’s Fitness and Criticism:
  • Hunter addresses criticisms of his father’s age and cognitive ability, attributing most of it to normal aging and media exaggeration.
    • "You saw someone become physically less robust and more frail. ... That's called getting old." — Hunter Biden [83:31]
• Failures and Successes: Hunter is frank about the mishandling of the Afghanistan withdrawal (calling it a "failure" but supporting the decision to leave), and discusses his father's record with pride but also criticism.

6. Hunter Biden’s Career Path and Allegations (Burisma, Foreign Dealings)

[113:23 - 148:06]

• Career Choices and Their Challenges: Hunter describes the complications of seeking employment as the son of a senator/VP, and the difficulty of avoiding “conflicts of interest” in nearly any industry.
• Burisma Board Role:
  • Explains how he joined the Ukrainian gas company’s board, citing vetting, a strong reference from a former Polish president, and Boyce Schiller Flexner’s legal expertise.
  • Admits it was a political mistake, not a criminal one, and insists there’s zero evidence of wrongdoing:
    • "You have my digital footprint. ... I challenge you to find one time in which you'll find one communication from me ... in which I asked my dad to do anything because I'm getting paid." — Hunter Biden [115:29]
  • Argues that much larger, more obvious conflicts exist in Trump’s (and Kushner's) business deals, yet are not subjected to the same scrutiny.

7. Laptop Claims—Personal Privacy, Revenge Porn, and Disinformation Campagins

[244:47 - 273:17]

• Laptop Narrative Dissected:
  • Hunter asserts there’s no one “laptop” in the sense alleged.
  • Claims the “laptop” is a digital amalgam: “cobbled together, stolen, concocted, fabricated” materials (some authentic, some not) from multiple sources, used selectively to construct a damaging narrative.
  • Details the process: material collected by various actors (including alleged Russian interests), doctored, and amplified by Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani, and right-wing media.
  • "There is no evidence of corruption in the laptop. None. ... What they did is they cobbled together ... digital information ... and then they talk about it." — Hunter Biden [255:21]
• Personal Fallout: Describes intrusion and humiliation (naked photos, private moments) as “revenge porn” used as a political weapon.
• On 10% for the ‘Big Guy’:
  • Asserts that this was not his statement, not about Burisma, and never materialized.
  • “I didn’t say that and number three, it never happened. So 10% for the big guy, go fuck yourself.” — Hunter Biden [151:26]
• Effectiveness of the Campaign: Credits the coordinated media effort for inflating the laptop narrative, distracting from the absence of any criminal activity.

8. Addressing Legal Prosecutions, the Gun Case, and the Pardon

[156:49 - 313:02]

• Tax and Gun Charges:
  • Outlines years of investigations, asserts he paid taxes with penalties once sober, but prosecutors pursued maximal charges for political effect.
  • Calls the gun prosecution unprecedented, essentially criminalizing recovery and weaponizing his public admissions.
• Full Transparency: Offers that all negative information is already public.
  • “I have no recollection whatsoever of ever dropping off a laptop to John Paul McIsaac...” [256:40]
• On the Pardon:
  • Admits a blanket pardon “looks guilty,” but insists it was necessary for protection given the politicization of justice.
    • "Do you think that under Donald Trump, Department of Justice, that I would have gotten a fair shake?" — Hunter Biden [307:47]

9. Addiction, Redemption, Connection, and the Need for Compassion

[175:56 - 228:03]

• Brutal Honesty About Addiction:
  • Openly details dangerous lows and lost years, but frames survival and recovery as a miracle, and a lesson in humility.
  • "The gift that has been given to me is that I don't have to. I don't have any more secrets. Not a one." — Hunter Biden [179:46]
  • Both Hunter and Shawn stress that disclosure of personal failures is “freeing” and important for recovery.
• Judgment and the Redemptive Arc:
  • Appeals to Christian principles of love, connection, and non-judgment, arguing these are the path to national healing.
    • “What's the singular message of Christ in my opinion? Love.” — Hunter Biden [213:30]
  • Discusses experiences with psychedelics and the value of feeling connected to others.

10. The Nature of Public Belief, Disinformation, and National Frustration

[230:35 - 298:56]

• Dangerous Consequences of Disinfo:
  • Describes harassment targeting his family, pressures of being made a scapegoat, and the difficulty of refuting false claims.
• Who’s to Blame and Who Benefits?
  • Both agree it’s not average Americans, but powerful interests and adversaries who profit from feeding disinformation and division.
    • "It's the people that control billions and billions and billions of dollars." — Hunter Biden [297:13]
• Missing Accountability:
  • Shawn and Hunter both lament how corruption appears unpunished at the top, fueling public distrust, regardless of party.

11. Hunter’s Emotional Closing: Family, Loss, and the Hope for Redemption

[318:01 - 328:43]

• On His Brother Beau: Tearfully discusses the closeness, the loss, and how his brother’s memory motivates him.
  • "The one thing I never doubted in my life was the love of my brother." — Hunter Biden [318:04]
• Summary of His Journey:
  • Hunter frames his story as one of redemption, radical honesty, accountability for hurt caused, but also an unapologetic stance on what’s false.
  • "It's the greatest story in the history of the world. The redemption story." — Hunter Biden [328:08]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On shared American values:

  • “Our prescription of how to make all those things better may be different, you know, and those are the things that we used to argue about.” — Hunter Biden [02:29]

• On political division and the media:

  • “We are all the victims of the algorithms that they have caged us in, every one of us, and we are. Are. Why are we all so mad at each other? Can. I don't understand this.” — Hunter Biden [09:07]

• On taking responsibility:

  • “Nobody can hold you accountable more harshly than you hold yourself. ... I'm not going to live in that guilt and shame any more. And I am, I'm at peace.” — Hunter Biden [81:23]

• On recovery:

  • “I still am absolutely certain that if I touch a drink or a drug, I'm dead. ... I was given that gift of utter complete desperation to remain clean and sober.” — Hunter Biden [56:36]
  • “The gift that has been given to me is that I don't have to. I don't have any more secrets. Not a one. Not a one.” — Hunter Biden [179:46]

• On the laptop:

  • “There is no evidence of corruption in the laptop. None. ... It is a digital amalgam ... and then they talk about it.” — Hunter Biden [255:21]
  • “I have no recollection whatsoever of ever dropping off a laptop to John Paul McIsaac, to his shop.” — Hunter Biden [256:40]

• On ‘10% for the big guy’:

  • “I didn’t say that and number three, it never happened. So 10% for the big guy, go fuck yourself.” — Hunter Biden [151:26]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro & opening discussion on values and polarization: [01:41 - 10:42]
• Division, oligarch class, and AI: [13:43 - 32:18]
• Addiction, family pain, and recovery: [55:43 - 81:07], [175:56 - 182:43]
• Growing up Biden, father/son bond: [62:40 - 82:04]
• Biden's age, political criticism: [82:09 - 101:11]
• Burisma: context, motives, and fallout: [113:23 - 148:06]
• Laptop claims, legal battles, and the 'revenge porn' effect: [244:47 - 273:17]
• Disinformation campaigns and insight into right-wing operatives: [260:00 - 273:17]
• Pardon, justice, and perceptions of guilt: [306:27 - 313:02]
• Closing thoughts: family, loss, redemption: [318:01 - end]

Summary Takeaway

This is a raw, unusually transparent interview, offering a rare look at high-level political scrutiny from the inside. Whether defending himself, admitting mistakes, or challenging media narratives, Hunter Biden openly discusses both his personal failings and his struggle with relentless public attacks. While fiercely defending against allegations about Burisma and the laptop, his overall message is one of shared humanity, redemption, and the need for compassion — even across today’s deepest divides.

The episode is as much about national reconciliation and the reality of American pain as it is about one man’s journey through addiction, disgrace, and recovery.

For further context or specific segments, see individual timestamps above.