(NewsNation) — The Kennedy family has a storied history in American politics. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a scion of the prominent Democratic political dynasty that included his uncle and former President John F. Kennedy, his father, the late senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and his mother, social justice trailblazer Ethel Kennedy.
RFK Jr., like his father, ran for president. The senior Kennedy was shot and killed during his candidacy as a Democrat, while the junior Kennedy, who ran on the independent ticket, withdrew from the 2024 race and issued his support for President Donald Trump.
Trump later nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which has ignited a family feud.
Here’s a breakdown of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s closest family members and the Kennedy family legacy.
Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy is the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy and the cousin of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She previously served as a U.S. ambassador to Japan and Australia.
She is the latest Kennedy to condemn Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the spotlight. On Jan. 28, Caroline Kennedy urged U.S. lawmakers to reject her cousin’s nomination to be the nation’s health chief.
Caroline Kennedy said her cousin “lacks any relevant government, financial, management or medical experience” to qualify him to lead the nation’s health agencies — but added that his “personal qualities” pose “even greater concern.”
“I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator,” she wrote in a letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Finance and HELP committees.
Caroline Kennedy said that she has siblings and cousins “who Bobby encouraged down the path of substance abuse and suffered addiction, illness, and death while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie and cheat his way through life.”
She also accused Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of expropriating her own father’s image and distorting his legacy to “advance his own failed presidential campaign.”
“Unlike Bobby, I try not to speak for my father — but I am certain that he and my uncle Bobby, who gave their lives in public service, and my uncle Teddy, who devoted his Senate career to improving health care, would be disgusted,” she wrote.
Cheryl Hines
Robert F. Kennedy is married to Cheryl Hines, an actress known best for her role in “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
While she stuck by her husband’s side through his presidential run, she was not in lockstep with his endorsement of Trump.
“This is really difficult for Cheryl,” Kennedy told TMZ. “This is the opposite of what she would want to do. She went along with it because she loves me and she wanted to be supportive of me, but it was not something that she ever encouraged.
“I would say, her trepidation about this and her discomfort with this, were the dominant feelings.”
Described as a “lifelong Democrat” by her husband, Hines has remained supportive of her husband despite differing political beliefs.
Mary Richardson Kennedy
Mary Richardson Kennedy, an architect, was married to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
They had four children together: Conor Kennedy, Kyra Kennedy, Aidan Kennedy and Finn Kennedy. The couple separated in 2010. He reportedly initiated divorce proceedings following 16 years of marriage.
RFK Jr. had two children with his first wife, Emily Ruth Black: son Robert Francis Kennedy III and daughter Kick Kennedy.
RFK Jr. and Mary Richardson Kennedy were still technically married when she died by suicide in 2012. She was 52.
Jack Schlossberg
Jack Schlossberg, a writer, is the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy and the son of Caroline Kennedy. Ahead of the 2024 election, he joined Vogue as a political correspondent.
Schlossberg has a background in law and business, having received a JD and MBA from Harvard.
Schlossberg has praised his grandfather as his “hero,” but he does not share the same sentiment for RFK Jr. Schlossberg made headlines for his public criticism of RFK Jr.’s presidential run.
“These are the issues that matter. And if my cousin, Bobby Kennedy Jr., cared about any of them, he would support Joe Biden, too,” Schlossberg said at the time.
Schlossberg has a big following on social media, where he posts about politics and comedic sketches on TikTok.
RFK Jr.’s children
RFK Jr. had two children with his first wife, Emily Ruth Black: son Robert Francis Kennedy III and daughter Kick Kennedy.
RFK Jr. had four children with his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy: Conor Kennedy, Kyra Kennedy, Aidan Kennedy and Finn Kennedy.
He is also stepfather to Hine’s daughter, Catherine Rose Young.
