Melissa Batya Cohen Biden (born
c. 1986)[1] is a South African‐American activist and documentary filmmaker. She is the wife of
Hunter Biden, a son of U.S. President
Joe Biden.
Early life
Melissa Cohen was born in
Johannesburg, South Africa. She lived in an orphanage and was three years old when adopted by Lee and Zoe Cohen, a
South African Jewish couple with three sons.[2][3] She attended
King David High School Victory Park, a Jewish day school, before studying interior design at Greenside Design Center College of Design in South Africa.[4][5] She moved to Los Angeles when she was 21 years old to attend the
University of California, Los Angeles.
Later life
While in Los Angeles, she met American businessman Jason Lavender. They married in 2011 and separated in 2014.[6] Cohen was an advocate for environmental and nature conservation groups.[4]
After her divorce, Cohen launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a documentary about tribal communities.[7]
In 2019, she met
Hunter Biden, son of then-former
U.S. Vice President and presidential candidate
Joe Biden. She helped Hunter Biden in seeking treatment for substance abuse.[8] On May 16, 2019, six days after meeting, they married in a ceremony held at her apartment in
Hollywood Hills.[9][10][11] In 2019, she became a
naturalized citizen of the United States.[1]
Their son Beau was born in March 2020 in Los Angeles.[12][13]