Few families in American history have had as much public controversy as the tragic Kennedy family. Though extremely wealthy, famous, and influential, the Kennedys have all experienced unbelievable heartbreak, and the scions have had to navigate their lives while bearing the weight of their widely recognized last name. As various branches of the family have grown and American politics have evolved, the dynamics between the Kennedys have changed, and one family member seems to be at the center of much of their infighting: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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Colloquially known as RFK Jr., the son of Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of John F. Kennedy, has become the most prominent political figure the family has seen in decades thanks to a bid for president in the 2024 election and a subsequent appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services. And his words and actions have made him quite the topic of conversation. 

Between RFK Jr.’s eyebrow-raising confessions to his controversial views on public health, the bureaucrat has become one of the most notorious members of his family. However, as controversial as he is among the American public, he’s far more controversial among the Kennedys. Some seem to tolerate him; others can’t stand him. Here are the Kennedy family members who just don’t get along with RFK Jr.

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Jack Schlossberg, the son of Caroline Kennedy and the grandson of the late president John F. Kennedy, has made his feelings toward Robert F. Kennedy Jr. very clear — multiple times. While his public condemnations of his cousin may be too numerous to list, a few stand out. For example, in 2023, after RFK Jr. launched his presidential campaign, Schlossberg took to social media to let others know exactly where he stood on his relative’s bid for the White House. “I’ve listened to him. I know him. I have no idea why anyone thinks he should be president. What I do know is his candidacy is an embarrassment,” Schlossberg voiced on Instagram.

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In 2024, the writer took to social media again to call out RFK Jr., attacking his personality. “You know, I’m a fan of his father … But listen, that guy, he’s a prick. The new guy, the young guy, he’s a friggin’ prick,” Schlossberg said on Instagram, as reported by The New York Times. Later that same year, JFK’s grandson made his feelings on RFK Jr.’s support of Trump painfully clear, again doing so on social media. In 2025, Schlossberg started the year by denouncing RFK Jr.’s nomination as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, suggesting on social media that he is not fit for the job because of his views on public health, among other reasons. “LIFE AND DEATH DECISIONS by someone who cannot tell the truth,” Schlossberg wrote on X.

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Caroline Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have known each other for a long, long time. The two are first cousins as their fathers, John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, respectively, were brothers. But their familial ties clearly haven’t stopped Caroline from making her thoughts known on RFK Jr.’s political opinions. In early 2025, Caroline was especially vocal just before RFK Jr. was scheduled for a confirmation hearing as Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

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In a video posted to Instagram, Caroline Kennedy read an open letter to a group of senators and called out what she saw as shortcomings regarding the position for which her cousin was nominated. “He lacks any relevant government, financial, management, or medical experience,” she said. “His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed.”

Caroline also ripped into RFK Jr. as a person. “I’ve known Bobby my whole life. We grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets, because Bobby himself is a predator,” she said. Finally, she called on the senators to whom she wrote the letter to reject his nomination. “[Americans] deserve a stable, moral, and ethical person at the helm of this crucial agency. They deserve better than Bobby Kennedy — and so do the rest of us,” she wrote. Unfortunately for Caroline, her letter proved futile. RFK Jr. was confirmed as health secretary in February of 2025.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s cousins aren’t the only people in his life who have taken issue with his views on and involvement in politics — the health secretary’s siblings are just as opposed. Before RFK Jr. became health secretary, he ran for president, challenging Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination. While he had considered running for other offices in the past, the 2024 campaign was RFK Jr.’s first official candidacy for an elected position. During the campaign, RFK Jr. ended his bid for the Democratic nomination and instead filed his candidacy as an Independent, and the decision was not met with praise from his family.

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RFK Jr.’s sister Kerry Kennedy publicly denounced his bid for president, noting that she was especially worried he would take votes away from Biden (at the time, Kamala Harris was not yet the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election), making Donald Trump’s path toward the presidency that much easier. “I feel like there’s so much at stake. When Daddy ran for president, in part of his speech he said, ‘I cannot stand aside,’ and that’s how I feel. I just feel there’s so much at stake,” Kerry said (via The Guardian). “I disagree with [RFK Jr.] on a range of the issues which I’ve discussed with him and been quite public about,” Kerry continued. “But the point here is not a sister and a brother or a family or anything like that. It is what’s the future of our country … That’s what’s going on here. Who cares about two siblings? It’s absurd,” Kerry added.

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Joe Kennedy III is another member of the famous family who’s been involved in politics. A former congressman, Joe is the son of Joseph P. Kennedy II, one of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s brothers. Joe has had no problem speaking out publicly against some of his uncle’s beliefs. In July 2023, for instance, Joe denounced one of RFK Jr.’s most controversial statements. While at dinner in New York City, RFK Jr. was caught on video saying, “COVID-19. There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately. COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese. We don’t know whether it was deliberately targeted or not but there are papers out there that show the racial or ethnic differential and impact” (via the New York Post).

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Joe was very terse but clear about his thoughts on RFK Jr.’s statements. “My uncle’s comments were hurtful and wrong. I unequivocally condemn what he said,” Joe wrote on X. Months later, RFK Jr. appeared on CNN and walked back his previous statements. “I wish I hadn’t said them, you know. What I said was true. The only reason I wouldn’t talk publicly about this … is that I know that there’s people out there who are antisemitic and can misuse any information,” the bureaucrat said. It appeared, though, that the damage had already been done between RFK Jr. and some of his family members.

Because the Kennedy family is so large, even people who aren’t closely related to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have been asked their thoughts on the bureaucrat. As noted, various members of the Kennedy family were unsupportive of RFK Jr.’s bid for presidency, and that included Stephen Kennedy Smith, Jean Kennedy Smith’s son and one of RFK Jr.’s cousins.

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“All of Bobby’s oldest friends, nearly his entire family, and even the living aides to RFK Sr., have said that his candidacy is dangerous and unwise and likely to elect Donald Trump,” Smith said of RFK Jr. to Vanity Fair in 2024. “But he won’t or can’t stop. It’s sad. I guess that Bobby just has to go where the followers are.”

Smith, per his comments, has been dubious of RFK Jr. for many years. RFK Jr. has publicly shared his history with drug use that stemmed from the assassination of his father, and his cousin seemed to think that much of RFK Jr.’s life has been negatively impacted by his past. “You can’t reason with addiction. And what we know about addiction is it leads to bad judgment — extremely bad judgment,” Smith said.

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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).

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign to become president of the United States came with loads of pushback from his family members, including Bobby Shriver, Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s son and a cousin to RFK Jr. In 2024, an advertisement that endorsed RFK Jr. for president aired during the Super Bowl, and the commercial used images of certain Kennedy family members, including John F. Kennedy and Eunice Kennedy Shriver. 

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Bobby Shriver did not take kindly to the advertisement. “My cousin’s Super Bowl ad used our uncle’s faces- and my Mother’s. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views. Respect for science, vaccines & health care equity were in her DNA. She strongly supported my health care work at @ONECampaign & @RED which he opposes,” Bobby wrote on X after the ad aired.

RFK Jr. swiftly responded on X, claiming he had nothing to do with the advertisement. “Bobby. I’m so sorry if that advertisement caused you pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Superpac without any involvement or approvals from my campaign. Federal rules prohibit Superpacs from consulting with me or my staff. I send you and your family my sincerest apologies. God bless you,” RFK Jr. wrote. Bobby did not respond publicly to RFK Jr.’s apology, but he did become another on the list of Kennedy family members opposed to RFK Jr.’s presidential aspirations.

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The political views of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are not shared by many members of the Kennedy family, and they’ve made that apparent. In the fall of 2023, multiple siblings publicly endorsed Joe Biden for president over RFK Jr. “The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country. Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment. Today’s announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country,” read an Instagram post signed by four of RFK Jr.’s 10 siblings, including Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.

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RFK Jr. didn’t publicly respond to his family’s denouncement of his presidential campaign, but his wife, Cheryl Hines, spoke up about his determination amidst adversity. “One thing I know about Bobby is if he hears that can’t be done or you can’t do it, it only sparks a fire in him and makes him fight harder,” Hines said in her speech introducing her husband at the Philadelphia press conference (via Forbes Breaking News).

Another Kennedy family member to slam Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential hopes was Rory Kennedy, one of RFK Jr.’s sisters and an Oscar-nominated producer and director. In fact, the opposing message in which she and her three siblings, Kerry, Kathleen, and Joseph P. Kennedy shared, was originally posted to Rory’s Instagram.

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Shortly after voicing her opinion publicly, Rory was asked by a journalist from The Hollywood Reporter about denouncing RFK Jr. Although she loves her brother, she said she felt she had to speak out against his campaign, worrying that his candidacy would deter some people from voting for Joe Biden and lead to a Donald Trump win. “I think it was important to put this statement out honestly, to just let folks know that his views don’t necessarily represent everybody in our family’s, and there’s some of them that are pretty far out there. I wanted to be on record as not being in agreement with both many of [the views] and the campaign,” Rory told the outlet (via X). “Every vote matters … which is why I felt compelled to speak out, which I didn’t really want to do,” she said.

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