{"id":9393,"date":"2026-07-18T08:18:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T03:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9393"},"modified":"2026-07-18T08:18:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T03:18:28","slug":"rosie-odonnell-says-rfk-jr-is-defiling-his-familys-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9393","title":{"rendered":"Rosie O&#8217;Donnell Says RFK Jr. Is &#8216;Defiling&#8217; His Family&#8217;s Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/rosie-o-donnell\/\"><strong>Rosie O\u2019Donnell<\/strong><\/a> accused <strong>Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/strong> of \u201cdefiling\u201d his family\u2019s legacy for aligning with President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrities\/donald-trump\/\"><strong>Donald Trump<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThat man is a lunatic; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrity-news\/news\/shriver-siblings-address-family-relationship-with-rfk-jr\/\">his own family says so<\/a>,\u201d O\u2019Donnell, 64, told <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/theater\/features\/rosie-o-donnell-interview-help-michelle-trachtenberg-trump-vendetta-robert-f-kennedy-jr-autism-1236811842\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Variety<\/em><\/a> in an interview published on Thursday. \u201cHe tried to get on <strong>Kamala Harris<\/strong>\u2019 campaign first, and when she said, \u2018No, thank you,\u2019 he went over to Trump. What kind of self-respect or dignity does he have to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She went on, \u201cTo defile the legacy of his family and that family name is sickening, and turns my stomach. I think he\u2019s a very dangerous, very selfish, very uneducated man who\u2019s gotten away with so much privilege that he doesn\u2019t even know what to do with himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrity-news\/news\/rosie-odonnell-and-donald-trumps-feud-timeline-explained\/\">a longtime critic<\/a> of Trump, 80, O\u2019Donnell took particular issue with Kennedy\u2019s characterization of a supposed autism \u201cepidemic\u201d in the U.S. During a 2025 press conference, the Health and Human Services Secretary, 72, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/fact-checking-robert-f-kennedy-jr-s-statements-on-autism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suggested<\/a> that \u201cautism destroys families\u201d and called the condition an \u201cindividual tragedy as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"link-related article link-related__with-thumb\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article__thumbnail related-ab-test\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrity-news\/news\/cheryl-hines-admits-painful-friendship-fallouts-over-rfk-jr-marriage\/\" target=\"\" data-source=\"01\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=400%2C225&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=200%2C113&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=300%2C169&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=400%2C225&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 400w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=600%2C338&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 600w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=800%2C450&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 800w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=900%2C506&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 900w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=1000%2C563&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 1000w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=1200%2C675&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=1600%2C900&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 1600w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=1800%2C1012&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 1800w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-655315124-Cheryl-Hines-Admits-Painful-Friendship-Fallouts-Over-RFK-Jr.-Marriage-e1770832447402.jpg?crop=0px%2C78px%2C2000px%2C1131px&amp;resize=1920%2C1080&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 770px) calc(100vw - 6em), 200px\" alt=\"GettyImages-655315124 Cheryl Hines Admits Painful Friendship Fallouts Over RFK Jr. Marriage\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"article__content\">\n<h3 class=\"article__title\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article__title-link related-ab-test\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrity-news\/news\/cheryl-hines-admits-painful-friendship-fallouts-over-rfk-jr-marriage\/\" target=\"\" data-source=\"01\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"related-badge\">Related: <\/span><span class=\"related-title\">Cheryl Hines Reveals \u2018Painful\u2019 Friendship Fallouts Over RFK Jr. Marriage<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n\t\t\tCheryl Hines opened up about losing friends due to her marriage to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during an appearance on the \u201cJoe Rogan Experience\u201d podcast. The Curb Your Enthusiasm alum dived deep into the backlash surrounding her spouse, who went from being a mainstream environmental activist to a controversial member of President Donald Trump\u2019s second [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c[Some with severe autism] regressed \u2026 into autism when they were 2 years old,\u201d he claimed. \u201cAnd these are kids who will never pay taxes, they\u2019ll never hold a job, they\u2019ll never play baseball, they\u2019ll never write a poem, they\u2019ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He went on, \u201cMost cases [of autism] now are severe. Twenty-five percent of the kids who are diagnosed with autism are nonverbal, non-toilet-trained, and have other stereotypical features.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many medical experts have taken issue with RFK\u2019s stance on autism while O\u2019Donnell \u2014 whose 13-year-old child Clay was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/how-lyle-menendez-helped-rosie-odonnell-after-childs-autism-diagnosis\/\">diagnosed as autistic at age 2<\/a> \u2014 accused the politician of making the autism community feel \u201cvalueless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[He says] such horrible things,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a community that I\u2019m a member of, and have tremendous respect for. Parents of autistic children have helped me in my journey as a parent of an autistic child. There were things occurring, like full sentences at 10 months old, that never occurred with my other children, so I knew we were onto something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Donnell continued, \u201cI wanted to talk about the joy of my child and how brilliant this child is, as well as some of the challenges. I didn\u2019t want it to be the story of the \u2018tragedy of autism,\u2019 because if you\u2019re ready to be a parent, you\u2019re ready to accept whatever you child comes with; and if you\u2019re not ready to accept whatever your child comes with, don\u2019t be a parent. I wanted to show autism in a different way than it\u2019s portrayed, and I feel strongly about standing up for my most vulnerable child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The former <em>View<\/em> cohost noted that she \u201cnever\u201d really hung around RFK Jr. during his years as a mainstream environmental lawyer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I did play poker with [Kennedy\u2019s wife] <strong>Cheryl Hines<\/strong> a lot,\u201d she revealed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4380022\" style=\"width: 745px;\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\" style=\"padding-bottom:137.42857142857%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4380022\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=1000&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all\" alt=\"Rosie O'Donnell Accuses Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of 'Defiling' His Family's Legacy\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=100&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 100w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=200&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=300&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=400&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 400w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=500&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 500w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=600&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 600w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=700&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 700w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=800&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 800w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=900&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 900w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=1000&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 1000w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=1200&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1394333642-Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319576577.jpg?w=1400&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) calc(100vw - 6em), (max-width: 1000px) 80vw, 1000px\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption\"><br \/>\n Cheryl Hines and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Jon Kopaloff\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Reminded that <strong>Larry David<\/strong> initially played matchmaker for his <em>Curb Your Enthusiasm<\/em> costar Hines, 60, and Kennedy, O\u2019Donnell quipped, \u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s a moment [David] regrets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Us Weekly<\/em> has reached out to the United States Department of Health and Human Services for comment.<\/p>\n<p>While David has never outright said he regretted setting up the couple, the comedian spoke out in 2023 when Kennedy told the <em>New York Times<\/em> that he felt \u201ca lot of support and love\u201d from Hines\u2019 friends.<\/p>\n<div id=\"news-block\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form  \">\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-narrow.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"newsletter-form__background background-narrow\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-wide.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"newsletter-form__background background-wide\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-signup__success\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<h3>Thank You!<\/h3>\n<p>You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cYes love and support, but I\u2019m not \u2018supporting\u2019 him,\u201d David, 79, insisted at the time.<\/p>\n<p>In December 2025, Hines confirmed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrity-news\/news\/cheryl-hines-is-estranged-from-larry-david-over-rfk-jr\/\">she was estranged from David<\/a> in light of her husband joining the Trump administration as Health and Human Services Secretary in January 2025.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he\u2019s mad,\u201d Hines told NewsNation\u2019s <em>Elizabeth Vargas Reports<\/em> of David. \u201cBecause Bobby\u2019s in the administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rosie O\u2019Donnell accused Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of \u201cdefiling\u201d his family\u2019s legacy for aligning with President Donald Trump. \u201cThat man is a lunatic; his own family says so,\u201d O\u2019Donnell, 64, told Variety in an interview published on Thursday. \u201cHe tried to get on Kamala Harris\u2019 campaign first, and when she said, \u2018No, thank you,\u2019 he&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rosie-ODonnell-Accuses-RFK-Jr-of-Defiling-His-Familys-Legacy-e1784319234821.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C2000px%2C1051px&resize=1200%2C630&quality=86&strip=all","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}