Ashley Biden, the youngest daughter of former President Joe Biden, has filed for divorce from her husband of 13 years, Philadelphia plastic surgeon Dr. Howard Krein. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the filing was made Monday in Philadelphia, marking a formal end to a relationship that began in 2010 when the two met through Ashley’s late brother, Beau Biden.
The couple married in 2012 in Greenville, Delaware, at the church where Ashley was baptized, later celebrating with a lakeside reception at the Biden family estate in Wilmington — an event Ashley fondly recalled when introducing her father at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
They went on to share a $1.3 million home in Philadelphia, where Krein works at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Ashley, a University of Pennsylvania–trained social worker, pursued criminal justice reform initiatives.
Ashley acknowledged the turning point with pointed symbolism on social media. In a since-deleted Instagram Story, she appeared walking through a park, giving a thumbs-up as Beyoncé’s Freedom played.
She also reposted a quote reading, “New life, means new boundaries. New ways of being that won’t look or sound like they did before,” accompanied by Lauryn Hill’s Freedom Time.
The last time Ashley and Krein were publicly seen together was June 2024, in the Oval Office, as former President Biden announced he would not seek re-election.
In the months that followed, Ashley took a rare step into the political fray, forcefully defending her father against claims of cognitive decline and criticism over the handling of his cancer diagnosis. Her spirited posts dismissed media reports — notably a segment by CNN’s Jake Tapper — as false and disrespectful, praising her father’s dedication and work ethic.
“The ONLY coverup of this family is a BEACH coverup!!!” she wrote at the time, pushing back on allegations of a White House cover-up and thanking supporters for standing with the Bidens during what she called an “uphill” period.
While Ashley has largely maintained a low public profile, the divorce filing and her recent public statements mark a noticeable shift — a step into a new chapter that she has signaled will come with both fresh boundaries and a renewed sense of independence.
