Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blames holiday party's vaccine-or-testing request on wife Cheryl Hines

Cheryl Hines and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
(Image credit: Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for Waterkeeper Alliance)

Attendees of a holiday party at prominent anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s home were reportedly told they should either be tested for COVID-19 or vaccinated.

That's according to a report from Politico on Friday, which said that given Kennedy is one of the most well-known anti-vaxxers in the United States, it "came as a surprise when an invitation to a holiday party at his home in California last week urged attendees to be tested or vaccinated beforehand."

Asked for comment by Politico, Kennedy blamed this on his wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines, whom he married in 2014. Kennedy said the party was for her friends in the entertainment industry and that he wasn't aware of what the invitation said.

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"I guess I'm not always the boss at my own house," he said.

Kennedy has been criticized for regularly promoting false claims about vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines. Earlier this year, he was banned from Instagram for "repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines."

Despite the vaccine-or-testing request on the invitations, though, Politico reports that no effort was made at the party to verify guests' vaccination or testing status.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.