Who is Zoe Kestan? Hunter Biden’s ‘WeedSlut’ ex-girlfriend in 11-month drug-fuelled romance whom he ‘wronged’

Hunter Biden’s former girlfriend, Zoe Kestan, 31, struck up a romantic relationship with the US president’s son during her stint as a stripper at Vivid Cabaret, a New York strip club, in 2017. Their years-old sex and drug-fuelled romance led the lingerie designer (and some of Hunter’s other ex-lovers) to testify in federal court this spring in his tax evasion probe.

Zoe Kestan, Hunter Biden’s ex-girlfriend who even testified in federal court this spring in his tax evasion probe, was 24 when she met Joe Biden’s son, whereas he was 47.(Instagram )

At the time of their meeting seven years ago, Kestan was a 24-year-old fashion designer and social media star who had no idea who Hunter Biden was, whereas America’s first child was nearly twice her age at 47. Joe Biden’s son appeared as just another VIP client who had booked a private room at the midtown Manhattan strip club during the early hours of the day. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Kestan looked back at how her first meeting with the sitting president’s son eventually became a defining moment, with her identity forever being entangled with Biden’s national notoriety. The down-spiralling moment spawned as she and the national figure (unbeknownst to her) got involved in an 11-month love affair, which ultimately also exposed her intimate snaps, found on the first son’s infamous laptop, to the world.

Now, living in Brooklyn with her Shih Tzu, Enzo, Kestan is years apart from that chapter of her life. And yet she is “confronted with the fact that the only thing I know about my identity now is – I’m still affected by this person, and certain people around me think of me only in relation to him.”

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In light of Biden’s recent presidential pardon, marking his father’s renunciation of a previous promise on the front, and his constant notorious headlining-making presence has perpetually made it difficult for her to take flight personally and professionally.

Who is Zoe Kestan?

The 31-year-old tabloid figure is a New Yorker and the daughter of a lawyer and a salesperson. She grew up in the Manhattan borough’s Yorkville section of the Upper East Side. Her education qualifications included her attendance at the elite Horace Mann School. Passionately driven towards fashion, Zoe eventually joined the Rhode Island School of Design, aspiring to jumpstart her own brand one day.

After graduation, she started working as a colour mixer for American contemporary art icon Jeff Koons. Simultaneously, she immersed herself in the city nightlife, earning her credit as a regular at places like Boom Boom Room and China Chalet, opening herself to new possibilities, opportunities and connections. Through her growing network at the locations, Kestan got acquainted with fellow designers and pursued freelance projects for fashion designer Telfar Clemens and rapper Travis Scott.

At the same time, her social media presence on Instagram earned her internet credibility and momentum. Matheus Lima, a longtime friend of the NY woman, said of her, “Slutty was an art form for her,” and it reflected in her IG posts as well. As an avid consumer of Vice Magazine, porn stars like Sasha Grey and Stoya caught her eye, and she started associating them with intelligent feminist sexuality. Channelling the same traits in her own social media presentation, Kestan’s internet persona stopped publisher Andrew Richardson in his tracks. He ultimately hired her to be photographed for his magazine and to dance at his parties.

Two years before the social media star crossed paths with Biden, she lost her original job with Koons and jumped ship as a designer to the ad agency Wieden+Kennedy. However, the pay wasn’t enough to keep her desires afloat. A friend, who was a stripper, offered her another option to supplement her income by coming in as a dancer at Vivid Cabaret.

Zoe Kestan and Hunter Biden met in 2017

In 2017, all aspects of her fascination with sexuality and marijuana culminated in the launch of a lingerie and apparel collection, which she presented at Paul’s Baby Grand, a cocktail lounge in Tribeca. Her latest venture landed her the label WEEDSLUT, associated with “embracing and enjoying the effort and glamour of an exaggerated style of dress that is unashamedly dripping with sexuality.”

Also read | Jessica Biel ‘breaking up’ with Justin Timberlake for the holidays ‘to get away from all the drama’ after his DWI arrest

That same year, she met Hunter Biden for the first time at the strip club for a private dance. They again got together when another dancer invited her to a party at the downtown hotel. It is here that Biden grew inquisitive about Kestan’s work, and he opened up about his family and addictions to alcohol and crack cocaine in their subsequent meetings. Soon enough, a pattern emerged, leading the pair to hop from one luxury hotel to another in New York and Los Angeles for their romantic rendezvous.

At one point, Biden and Kestan discussed heading out to rehab for the former. However, they didn’t go through with it as Hunter changed plans, again making way for a romantic detour at a rented bungalow at the Chateau Marmont. By the end of this stay, Biden’s ex grew familiar with how much addiction dictated his life. Moreover, it seems like her mother and longtime pal also caught the red flags. Despite the emerging apprehension surrounding their romance, Kestan was in love. The case only worsened with Biden’s disappearance and lies taking over at one point.

Hunter Biden’s red flags start showing

In late 2018, Biden was finally reported to be undergoing ketamine therapy to counter his addiction. Nonetheless, Kestan saw the obvious that it wasn’t working. Seeking power cocaine, Kestan had to purportedly drive him to Providence, Rhode Island, where college connections could come in handy. The following day marked their last meeting as Biden dropped her off at the Providence Amtrak station, and the relationship plummetted into chaos. The pair’s bitter fights over text replaced their previous sweet connection until communication was completely cut off. Before that happened, one of Biden’s WhatsApp messages to her read, “I wronged you. I intentionally hurt you. I am a bad man. You need to be away from me forever.”

Years later, the New York Post reported that emails obtained from Hunter Biden’s laptop contained evidence against him and his father. Although this went nowhere, other content on the device included a grand collection of images, videos, and text messages alluding to his relationship with Kestan, offering “physical evidence” of their time together.