Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proved to be a controversial figure — and his first wife, Emily Ruth Black, surely knows it. After all, his name has been crashing through the news ever since his unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2024. In a 2025 press release, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell accused him of “trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions.” His cousin, Caroline Kennedy, called him a “predator” in a video posted on Instagram. Even his now-ally, President Donald Trump, once referred to him as a “Democrat ‘Plant'” on Truth Social (via Politico).

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As much buzz as RFK Jr.’s political views have generated, though, Black does not seem keen on voicing an opinion. As of publication, the Indiana-born lawyer has remained silent on the issue of her ex-husband. If RFK Jr.’s role as the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services has placed him front and center, Black appears more comfortable in the background. But, her silence does not mean her marriage to the modern Kennedy was easy.

The politician has long had a reputation as a womanizer, a history of addiction, and documents obtained by Mother Jones showed that RFK Jr.’s second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, believed him to be a “sexual deviant.” During his relationship to Black, RFK Jr. was not always the ideal husband — a reality that ultimately led the couple to part ways in 1994.

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When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. first met Emily Ruth Black at the University of Virginia School of Law, he had already accumulated a number of romantic experiences. He first fell for Valerie Duff Pacifico, a travel agent from New York City. According to Jerry Oppenheimer’s “RFK Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream,” Pacifico was totally smitten with what she viewed as the young Harvard man’s “Kennedy charm and pedigree.” She even dreamed of one day walking down the aisle on his arm. He, however, did not seem to take the relationship so seriously.

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When RFK Jr. set off to spend time at the London School of Economics, it didn’t take long for him to find a new lover in a woman by the name of Rebecca Fraser. As the daughter of Lady Antonia Fraser, Rebecca boasted the blue-blooded connections so valued by the elite. She fit in well with the Kennedy family, having befriended Caroline Kennedy before even meeting RFK Jr. When she came to the United States, Rebecca even spent time studying modeling with fashion icon Jackie Kennedy.

Although it may have seemed like RFK Jr. and Rebecca were on the road to marriage, nothing could be further from the truth. All it took was one evening at a pizza joint near UVA for the young Kennedy to find someone new. He quickly fell for second-year law student, Emily Ruth Black, leaving Rebecca behind.

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If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent his 20s pursuing romantic relationships in big cities like New York and London, the same could not be said about Emily Ruth Black. While the young Kennedy was traveling the world and meeting new people, Black had spent most of her life studying in the state of Indiana. Although she did have at least one romantic relationship back home, Black was mostly known as a focused student. In fact, she had worked so hard during her undergraduate career at Indiana University that she graduated with Phi Beta Kappa in 1978.

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As reported by author Jerry Oppenheimer in his book, “RFK Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream,” Black was generally “quiet and reserved.” She may have inherited her academic prowess from her mother — a school teacher who suffered the tragic death of Black’s father when she was still a toddler. In any case, many of Black’s closest friends noted that RFK Jr.’s wild and privileged background did not necessarily match Black’s own upbringing in a more serious, academic environment.

Some believed that the stark differences between RFK Jr. and Black would prevent their relationship from lasting long-term. As Oppenheimer noted, “No one saw the Kennedy-Black relationship becoming serious enough to one day involve marriage. To her friends it seemed like a Cinderella story come true; to others she was more like Little Red Riding Hood meeting the Big Bad Wolf.”  

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Despite all the differences between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Emily Ruth Black, the duo began dating. Although the pair shared many sweet moments, they also faced a number of serious challenges. According to some sources, the most significant among these was RFK Jr.’s drug addiction. As one friend of the former couple told Jerry Oppenheimer for his book, “It was pretty common knowledge that Bobby did drugs … Bobby didn’t want it to be publicized. Emily was aware, we all were aware, and everyone offered to help him whenever they could.”

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This same source told Oppenheimer that RFK Jr. would occasionally try to stop his drug use, but to little avail. Apparently, this friend would often join forces with Black to support RFK Jr.’s attempts at sobriety. However, neither had the qualifications to provide anyone with professional help. Reflecting on this tumultuous time, RFK Jr.’s friend claimed, “He’d stop. He’d go cold turkey. He just thought, ‘I can beat this whenever I want,’ and he did for a while. But then it started again. You can have incredible willpower but that doesn’t mean you can turn addiction on and off.”

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

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Despite everything that Emily Ruth Black reportedly did to help Robert F. Kennedy Jr., he was not necessarily faithful to her throughout their relationship. Acquaintances from the former couple’s student days claim that the young Kennedy cheated on Black from the time they were still boyfriend and girlfriend. This was said to be especially true in 1980 when RFK Jr. set off to campaign for his uncle, Ted Kennedy. During this time, RFK Jr. was followed by journalist, David Horowitz, who kept a record of his alleged habits and behaviors.

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As reported in Jerry Oppenheimer’s book, Horowitz expressed surprise at the sheer number of women who RFK Jr. pursued during this time. “There were women there like moths to the flame. I just know that he was f***ing everything in sight even though he was involved with Emily Black, who was just very quiet, just seemed like a nice person,” Horowitz reportedly stated.

The young journalist apparently went on to comment, “By the end of the day, the rest of us were exhausted and Bobby was ill, had the flu or something, and all of us collapsed, but there was a girl waiting for him … He had one girl who was a campaign worker, so he always had that one.” If true, these rumors would explain some of the tensions that mounted in RFK Jr. and Black’s relationship from the very beginning.

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Because of the many issues plaguing their relationship, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Emily Ruth Black eventually decided to split up. During this time, RFK Jr. continued to see several women. Black, meanwhile, also tried dating other people. As much as the young couple tried to stay apart, however, they felt an undeniable draw to each other. By the time August 1980 came rolling around, RFK Jr. and Black weren’t just back together, they were actually engaged.

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By most accounts, the people in Black and RFK Jr.’s life were extremely supportive of the match. The young couple did not hesitate to call Black’s mother with the news, and when they did finally speak to a Kennedy family priest, Father Gerald Creedon, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. “She had a presence,” Creedon would later recall of Black, according to Jerry Oppenheimer’s reporting. The priest would even comment that Black shared certain characteristics with Jackie Kennedy. The positivity surrounding RFK Jr. and Black’s engagement almost certainly filled the young couple with optimism. Whatever challenges they faced at the beginning of their relationship, they hoped to overcome them in this new phase.

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On April 3, 1982, Emily Ruth Black and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said “I do” in a massive wedding held at the First Christian Church in Bloomington, Indiana. As reported by United Press International at the time, approximately 400 guests attended the ceremony — including many of RFK Jr.’s famous relatives. Senator Ted Kennedy was present, as well as RFK Jr.’s mother, Ethel Kennedy. Black invited six Kennedy women to join her bridal party, although her sister, Sarah Hochberg, took on the role of matron of honor.

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The bride wore a stunning lace gown created especially for her by the now-defunct wedding brand, House of Bianchi. Apparently, the bespoke piece was designed by brand co-founder Phyllis Ann Bianchi Lange herself. And, the results were beautiful. With its long sleeves and regina neckline, the gown exuded the sense of tradition that one might expect at a more conservative church wedding. Its pearl-studded skirt also gave it the touch of modern elegance needed by any Kennedy bride.

Although RFK Jr. and Black’s wedding might be remembered as a glamorous affair, it was also an emotional one. Kennedy family priest, Father Gerald Creedon, was especially impressed by the sheer number of friends and family members that gathered around Black during the event. “It is clear that Emily has learned much about caring from her family and from this community,” he told United Press International at the time.

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In many ways, Emily Ruth Black and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s marriage opened an era of hope for the young couple. They desperately wanted to be together and truly thought that the differences in their personalities was a good thing. As Jerry Oppenheimer would later report, “Bobby was hyperactive and Emily was calm. They thought it would work out.” At first, things did.

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RFK Jr. and Black appeared to share similar goals for their relationship. They both said that they wanted a modern marriage where both parties participated in domestic labor. The couple even sat down with People to discuss what was then known as the “women’s lib movement.” As per United Press International, the magazine wrote that “Bobby and Emily plan to share the cleaning and cooking.” Both parties were also apparently planning on contributing to the family finances, with Black taking on the role of a public interest lawyer and RFK Jr. working as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan.

Despite the hope that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Emily Ruth Black ostensibly felt toward their shared future, things were not always easy for the young couple. This was clear just 17 months after their wedding when RFK Jr. was set to fly from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Rapid City, South Dakota. Although this journey was expected to be uneventful, things were turned upside-down when airport authorities discovered heroin in RFK Jr.’s bags. Apparently, the newly-wed had once again started to use drugs.

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According to The Wall Street Journal, RFK Jr. ultimately stood before the court of law and pled guilty to charges of heroin possession. He was reportedly sentenced to 1,500 hours of community service and two years of probation. He was also required to start attending Narcotics Anonymous and submit periodic drug tests to the state. Per a separate report by United Press International, this all occurred at a time when RFK Jr. was unemployed. He had apparently quit his job as an assistant attorney general just two months before the incident at the airport.

When Emily Ruth Black and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. first tied the knot, they wanted a whole houseful of kids. Black came from a household of three children, while RFK Jr. grew up with 10 siblings. Because of this, they told People (via United Press International) that they would perhaps have a brood of five kids. Both seemed incredibly enthusiastic about this plan, with Black appearing especially thrilled with the possibility of becoming a mother. At one point during her interview with People, she blurted, “I’m going to breastfeed our first child!”

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Despite all this enthusiasm, Black and her husband never even got close to growing into a family of seven. Although Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has six kids, he and Black only share two. The couple’s oldest son, Robert “Bobby” F. Kennedy III, was born at Northern Westchester Hospital on September 3, 1984. Their daughter, Kathleen Alexandra “Kick” Kennedy arrived four years later on April 31, 1988. Although Black and RFK Jr. largely kept quiet about their decision to have just two children, they seemed to enjoy parenthood. In 2024, RFK Jr. took to X to share, “I’m so grateful to my children for their admirable values and the extraordinary lives they are living.”

As much as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Emily Ruth Black tried to make their marriage work, it was not meant to be. By 1992, the pair had decided to keep separate households. In 1994, they got a divorce. Interestingly, however, the couple seemed eager to secure a legal separation as quickly as possible. As The New York Times reported at the time, Black and RFK Jr. flew down to the Dominican Republic to obtain their divorce. Apparently, in those days, the country was a popular destination for couples who wanted to fast track their separations.

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RFK Jr. would later say that he grappled with the implications of getting a divorce. In a 2004 conversation with Outside, the lawyer claimed that his Catholic background initially made it difficult for him to see divorce as a viable option. However, he eventually came to feel that environmental protectionism was his way of expressing his religious beliefs. “If my whole life’s work was to save a chunk of the New York City watershed and nothing more … I’d be able to face my God,” he said.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may have said that he was reticent about obtaining a divorce from Emily Ruth Black, but that’s not the full story. By the time RFK Jr. and Black flew to the Dominican Republic to file for a formal separation, he was already involved with his childhood friend, Mary Richardson. Making matters even more complicated, Richardson would have been about five months pregnant at the time. The baby, of course, was RFK Jr.’s.

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Interestingly, RFK Jr. had already asked Richardson to marry him in 1993 — before he and Black even divorced. As per Jerry Oppenheimer’s book, Richardson only agreed to RFK Jr.’s proposal because she was led to believe his marriage to Black was legally over. In the end, though, it seems Richardson forgave RFK Jr. for his blunder. After all, she married him in April 1994 — just three weeks after his divorce from Black.

That year in July, RFK Jr. and Richardson welcomed a little boy who they named Conor. These days, Conor Kennedy has gained fame for being Taylor Swift’s ex, and his father RFK Jr.’s relationship history continues to be a source of drama in the world of politics.