Robert f. kennedy jr. spouse

American politician and activist (born 1954)

Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (born January 17, 1954), also known by his initials RFK Jr., is an American politician, environmental lawyer, author, anti-vaccine activist, and conspiracy theorist who has served as the 26th United States secretary of health and human services since February 13, 2025. A member of the Kennedy family, he is a son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of President John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He began his career as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan. In the mid-1980s, he joined two nonprofits focused on environmental protection: Riverkeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). He became an adjunct professor of environmental law at Pace University School of Law in 1986. In 1987, Kennedy founded Pace's Environmental Litigation Clinic. He founded the nonprofit environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance in 1999. He first ran as a Democrat and later started an independent campaign in the 2024 United States presidential election, before withdrawing from the race and endorsing Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Since 2005, Kennedy has promoted vaccine misinformation and public-health conspiracy theories, including the scientifically disproved claim of a causal link between vaccines and autism. He is the founder and former chairman of Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine advocacy group and proponent of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. Kennedy has written books including The Riverkeepers (1997), Crimes Against Nature (2004), The Real Anthony Fauci (2021), and A Letter to Liberals (2022).

Early life and education

Kennedy was born at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., on January 17, 1954. He is the third of eleven chil

Cheryl Hines' marriage to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has had its highs and lows.

In September 2024, Hines was spotted without her wedding ring after it was revealed that Kennedy developed a "personal relationship" with New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi.

A source told PEOPLE that Hines has considered filing for divorce. However, in recent months, she has been seen supporting her husband at the funeral of his late mother, Ethel Kennedy, and his Senate confirmation hearing. In November 2024, President Donald Trump nominated Kennedy to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and he was eventually confirmed on Feb. 13.

Kennedy and the actress share seven children in their blended family. Hines has a daughter, Catherine, from her first marriage to Paul Young, while Kennedy has six adult children — sons Bobby III, Conor, Finn and Aidan and daughters Kick and Kyra — from his two previous marriages.

Before his 2014 wedding to Hines, Kennedy was married twice. He married his first wife, Emily Ruth Black, in 1982, separated 10 years later and divorced in 1994. That same year, he wed his second wife, Mary Kathleen Richardson, and filed for divorce in 2010. Richardson died by suicide in 2012.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Campaign Slammed as 'Dangerous to Our Country' in Statement from 4 of His Siblings

The Curb Your Enthusiasm star was by Kennedy's side on the 2024 presidential campaign trail until he dropped out of the race in August 2024. That same month, the couple celebrated 10 years of marriage.

"You have given me a life I could've never imagined full of love, laughter, joy and adventure. In my darkest hours you bring me light. I love you," Hines wrote on Instagram.

RFK Jr. Slammed for Pushing 'Abhorrent' COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory About Jews and Chinese People

So, who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s wife? Here's everything to kno

American interior designer and philanthropist (1959–2012)

Mary Kathleen Richardson Kennedy (née Richardson; October 4, 1959 – May 16, 2012) was an American interior designer and philanthropist. She was a proponent of green building and was a co-founder of the Food Allergy Initiative, the largest fund for food allergy research in the United States. Her 2010 legal separation from her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was highly publicized. Her suicide in 2012 also received national media attention.

Early life

Mary Kathleen Richardson was born on October 5, 1959, and was raised in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her father, John F. Richardson, was an attorney and a professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, who died when she was 12 years old. Richardson's mother was Nancy Higgins, a public school English teacher. Richardson had four sisters and two brothers.

She attended The Putney School, where she became friends and roommates with Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. She later roomed with Kerry Kennedy in college and served as her maid of honor at her wedding in 1990 to Andrew Cuomo.

Education

Richardson attended Brown University and studied architectural design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Her close friend Kerry Kennedy stated that Mary spent a semester working for the artist Andy Warhol in 1980. While Edward Kennedy was running for president, Mary Richardson, then age 20, had raised donations of artwork from Warhol and other prominent artists in his network, including Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein, and Schnabel.

Career

After studying architecture at RISD, Richardson lived in SoHo, Manhattan, in the 1980s, and was active in the bohemian culture.

In 1993, Richardson worked for the firm Parrish Hadley Design as an architectural designer. She was invo

Cheryl Hines, the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star who is married to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was seen sitting behind her husband Wednesday at his first Senate confirmation hearing. 

RFK Jr. is due for questioning before two Senate panels this week in his bid to be confirmed as the next Heath and Human Services secretary.

RELATED: RFK Jr. confirmation hearings underway amid vaccine controversy

Who is RFK Jr’s wife?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s wife is Cheryl Hines, 59, an actress best known for her role in HBO’s "Curb Your Enthusiasm," playing Larry David’s wife, Cheryl David. 

She has acted in other shows and has various producing and directing credits as well, according to her IMDB page. 

She recently launched a luxury beauty line, Hines+Young, alongside her daughter, which prioritizes eliminating the single-use of plastics, according to the company’s websites. 

Hines was previously married to Paul Young, and the two had one daughter together, Catherine, who was born in 2004. 

Hines and Kennedy have been married since 2014, though the fate of their marriage has been subject to rumors in recent months. 

In November, a source told People magazine Hines was contemplating divorcing Kennedy when reports emerged that he had allegedly been involved in an affair with a political journalist. Kennedy has denied the claims.  

Cheryl Hines and RFK Jr’s politics

Timeline:

Hines has rarely