Cheryl Hines, the actor and wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Francis Kennedy Jr., aka RFK Jr., has publicly defended her husband against media criticism, arguing his career proves he aims to help, not harm, the public.
Cheryl Hines defends husband RFK Jr. on Joe Rogan
On the recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Cheryl Hines pushed back against portrayals of RFK Jr. as intentionally endangering public health. She pointed to his long career as an environmental attorney.
“When people talk about Bobby, and they want to paint him as somebody who is trying to hurt people… it’s like look at his career and who he is and what he’s accomplished,” Hines told Rogan. “He spent a lot of time suing huge corporations because they were polluting waterways, which was hurting people, killing people, and giving people cancer.”
Hines framed this history as proof of RFK Jr.’s character. “So why would he spend all of his life fighting for people, fighting for individuals, and then suddenly change and want to hurt people?” she said. “It just doesn’t track.”
Despite Cheryl Hines placing blame on the media, the sharpest criticisms of RFK Jr.’s tenure have come from within the public health community. Last October, six former U.S. Surgeons General published a letter in The Washington Post warning that Kennedy’s actions “are endangering the health of the nation.” They cited the undermining of scientific expertise and the promotion of misinformation as key threats.
A primary concern is Kennedy’s history of promoting vaccine skepticism, including discredited links between vaccines and autism. This skepticism has also drawn real-world scrutiny. Following a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa that killed 83 people, the Samoan Ministry of Health cited Kennedy’s visit and anti-vaccine advocacy as factors that discouraged vaccinations. Dr. Paul Offit told The Guardian, “The Samoan incident showed us how disinformation can kill.”
Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. has moderated some statements following backlash.
