Cheryl Hines recently disclosed that her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., suggested they stage a fake separation to mitigate the criticism she was receiving from her Hollywood peers due to his controversial views on COVID-19 and vaccines.
This revelation follows her earlier disclosure two months ago, where she mentioned that Kennedy had proposed a similar idea after reports surfaced regarding his sexting scandal with journalist Olivia Nuzzi.
During an interview with Dr. Phil McGraw, the 60-year-old Emmy-winning actress elaborated on her husband’s strategy, which he believed would protect her from the political backlash stemming from his contentious opinions.
“I didn’t consider it,” Hines stated.
She acknowledged the intensity of that period in her life but emphasized that despite the pressure from her friends and colleagues, she never seriously entertained the idea of a faux separation.
“Bobby was advocating for vaccine safety and wanted to review the studies on the COVID vaccine,” Hines explained. “He had strong opinions about the mandates and the shutdowns, which were not always well-received, especially in Hollywood.”
‘The general feeling was he should not be talking about this, and you should tell him not to talk about this, and why are you with him?’
Hines noted that outside of Hollywood and the broader Los Angeles community, RFK Jr.’s arguments were resonating with voters, but that still didn’t shield her from the backlash among A-listers and the elite.
Cheryl Hines has opened up about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposing they pretend to separate when she was copping flak from her Hollywood friends over his Covid and vaccine stance
The Emmy-award-winning actress, 60, previously revealed that Kennedy, 71, wanted to shield her from any fallout relating to their marriage while he was campaigning for the presidential race in 2024
‘Suddenly people are asking me why I’m still married to him and some people were saying “I can’t be around you because you’re married to him,”‘ she revealed.
‘That was hard at first and Bobby was seeing me go through that and he said maybe it would just be better if we just told people we weren’t together.
‘I said “I don’t know if that is the solution.” That was never the solution.’
Even though she never seriously considered his proposal, the Curb Your Enthusiasm star said she ‘thought it was sweet.’
‘It was sensitive that he understood what he was seeing happen in my life.
‘I have always put my family first and people have asked me how I could be with him because of his politics.
‘I didn’t marry him because of his politics, why would I leave him because of his politics? That’s not the relationship we have.’
Hines had earlier revealed that RFK Jr. made an identical proposal when he was officially campaigning for president in 2024, before endorsing Trump.
Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Donald Trump, going on to land the role as Health Secretary
Speaking to Dr. Phil McGraw, the Emmy award-winning actress shared details about her husband’s ploy, which she claimed was his solution to shield her from political attacks over his unpopular opinions
Hines said: ‘I didn’t marry him because of his politics, why would I leave him because of his politics? That’s not the relationship we have’
At the time, he was also embroiled in a scandal with 32-year-old New York Magazine reporter Nuzzi, after it emerged that the pair became ’emotionally involved’ while she was writing a feature on his campaign.
‘For a couple to say, ”Maybe we should just say we’re not with each other anymore and our lives would be easier”… That’s pretty dramatic and pretty extreme,’ she said.
‘Things got dramatic during this presidential campaign. Some people were very upset that I was even married to Bobby.
‘They were vocally coming at me because I’m married to Bobby. So Bobby felt, ”You shouldn’t be having to take that heat. So why don’t we just say we’re separated?”’
Hines said the offer came from a place of concern, and ultimately brought them closer together.
‘You’re in these unique situations that nobody else can imagine,’ she said.
Kennedy denied any inappropriate relationship at the height of the scandal – claiming he met Nuzzi only once during an interview – but sources described the connection as ’emotional and digital in nature, not physical.’
An internal investigation by New York Magazine found ‘no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias’ in Nuzzi’s reporting on Kennedy, but the controversy nevertheless resulted in her departure from the publication.
