Hunter Biden delivered a blistering personal attack on CNN anchor Jake Tapper during an appearance on former CNN host Don Lemon’s podcast, making it clear that his dislike for the veteran journalist extends well beyond disagreement over recent reporting.
The exchange came as Lemon asked Hunter Biden whether he had ever been friends with Tapper, whom he said he has known for roughly 25 years. Hunter quickly dismissed the idea.
“No,” he answered before Lemon shifted the conversation to “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” the 2025 book Tapper co-authored with Axios reporter Alex Thompson.
Asked how he felt about the book, Hunter Biden responded without hesitation.
“I think that Jake is a complete and utter a**hole,” he said. He went on to call Tapper “a really poor journalist” before adding that he also had serious objections to him on a personal level.
“And beyond that, I don’t think he’s a very decent human being,” Hunter said. “As a person, I don’t like Jake.”
Rather than offer the kind of restrained response often expected in public interviews, Hunter Biden said he had no interest in softening his opinion. He rejected the idea of paying respect to Tapper’s journalism career simply out of courtesy, saying he believed the CNN anchor was “full of fing s.”
Hunter explained that his anger stems from what he believes is Tapper’s treatment of him and his family over the years.
“What Jake espoused and has continued, and the way that he has spoken about me, the way he has spoken about my mother, the way that he has spoken about my father,” Hunter said before adding that he no longer feels obligated to be diplomatic because he is “not running for anything.”
He described his feelings toward Tapper as a “real personal grievance.”
When Lemon asked what he would say directly to Tapper if given the opportunity, Hunter replied that he had already said it. He then looked into the camera and addressed Tapper by name.
“Jake, I do not like you,” he said. “I don’t like you at all. And I have a whole host of reasons why. And that’s final.”
Hunter’s comments echoed criticism previously made by his father following the release of “Original Sin.” According to The Hill, former President Joe Biden dismissed the book during a May 2025 exchange with reporters.
“You can see that I’m mentally incompetent, I can’t walk — and I can beat the hell out of both of them,” Biden said with a smirk, referring to Tapper and Thompson.
Hunter has also criticized Tapper in earlier interviews. During a July 2025 appearance, he questioned the CNN host’s influence, saying Tapper had “the smallest audience on cable news.” He also claimed Tapper’s ratings declined after the publication of the book.
