Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) has addressed whether he has spoken to his cousin Caroline Kennedy in the weeks following the death of her daughter, Tatiana Schlossberg. Speaking publicly for the first time on the matter, RFK Jr. offered a brief response while acknowledging the family’s ongoing grief.
RFK Jr. talks about contact with Caroline Kennedy
When asked if RFK Jr. had been in touch with Caroline Kennedy, since her daughter Tatiana Schlossberg’s death in late December, he shared with People, “Not recently.” He added, “Everybody’s praying for them.” The 72-year-old U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services attended a breast cancer fundraiser with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, where the couple received an award.
The tragic loss of Tatiana Schlossberg at age 35 has cast a renewed focus on the divided Kennedy family. Tatiana, an environmental journalist and granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, died a month after publicly revealing an acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis in a poignant essay for The New Yorker.
Her funeral was held on January 5 at The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola in New York City. It was attended by immediate family, including her parents, siblings, husband, and her two young children. Notably, RFK Jr. was not among the mourners. That same day, he publicly announced a major shift in national vaccine policy for children.
Before her death, Tatiana had openly criticized her cousin. She called him out as an “embarrassment to me and the rest of my immediate family.” She specifically denounced his controversial stance on vaccines and his influence on health policy.
Caroline Kennedy herself has also been a vocal critic of RFK Jr. Ahead of his confirmation hearings last January, she penned a scathing letter labeling him a “predator” who is “addicted to attention and power” and “unqualified” to lead health policy. It was a rare public rebuke from the typically reserved former ambassador.
