Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s love life is a long and winding road, packed with high-profile marriages, political drama, and personal tragedy. If there’s one thing you can say about his relationships, it’s that they’ve never been dull. Three wives (married to Cheryl Hines now), six children, and enough headline-grabbing moments to keep the gossip mills churning for years—RFK Jr.’s personal life is just as eventful as his controversial political career.
Inside RFK Jr.’s Wild Love Life: Three Wives, Six Kids, and Endless Drama
RFK Jr.’s first foray into marriage began in 1982 when he tied the knot with Emily Ruth Black, whom he met while studying law at the University of Virginia. Their relationship started off strong, and they welcomed two children—Robert Francis “Bobby” Kennedy III in 1984 and Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy in 1988. The marriage lasted a decade before cracks started to show, leading to their separation in 1992 and an official divorce in 1994.
But RFK Jr. didn’t waste any time moving on. While still legally married to Emily, he had already developed a relationship with Mary Kathleen Richardson, a close friend of his sister, Kerry Kennedy. The timeline was so tight that just three weeks after finalizing his divorce from Emily, he walked down the aisle again—this time with Mary, who was six months pregnant with their son, Conor, at the time of their wedding.
Kennedy and Richardson’s marriage lasted 16 years and brought three more children into the world: Kyra (1995), William “Finn” (1997), and Aidan (2001). The relationship, however, was anything but smooth sailing. By 2010, Kennedy filed for divorce, and their split was riddled with turmoil. Mary, struggling with depression and substance abuse, was devastated by the breakdown of their marriage.
Two years later, in 2012, tragedy struck when she died by suicide. Reports surfaced that she had discovered RFK Jr.’s private journal, which allegedly documented his affairs with 37 different women. The scandal made headlines, further complicating an already tragic situation. In later interviews, Kennedy acknowledged Mary’s struggles but denied that his actions were solely responsible for her death, arguing that suicide is always the result of complex factors.
By the time of Mary’s passing, Kennedy had already moved on again. His next serious relationship began in 2011 with actress Cheryl Hines, best known for her role as Larry David’s wife on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Ironically, it was Larry David himself who introduced the two at a 2006 Waterkeeper Alliance fundraiser, though at the time, both were still married to other people.
They reconnected in 2011 after Kennedy’s separation, and by 2014, they were married in a star-studded wedding at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Hines, who had previously been married to producer Paul Young, brought her own daughter, Catherine, into their blended family, making her the stepmother to RFK Jr.’s six children.
For a while, Kennedy and Hines seemed like a power couple, frequently attending events together and supporting each other’s careers. But the marriage was far from perfect. RFK Jr.’s political ambitions and controversial views, particularly his anti-vaccine stance, put a strain on their relationship. In 2022, when he compared vaccine mandates to Anne Frank’s experience during the Holocaust, Hines was quick to distance herself from his remarks, calling them “reprehensible and insensitive.” The backlash was so intense that Kennedy even considered publicly announcing a fake separation to shield Hines from criticism. She declined the offer but acknowledged that her husband’s views had made her life more complicated.
By 2023, Kennedy—whose strained voice often makes headlines—had launched his presidential campaign, and Hines was reluctantly pulled into the political whirlwind. While she supported his run publicly, she largely avoided discussing policy, preferring to stay out of the fray. But in August 2024, RFK Jr. dropped out of the race and threw his support behind Donald Trump, a move that reportedly caused further tension in their marriage. Then came the final blow—rumors surfaced in September 2024 that Kennedy had developed a “personal relationship” with journalist Olivia Nuzzi while she was covering his campaign. Not long after, Hines was spotted without her wedding ring, and reports suggested she was seriously considering filing for divorce.
The Next Generation of Kennedys: Where Are RFK Jr.’s Children Now?
Beyond his wives, RFK Jr.’s six children have also had their share of time in the spotlight. His eldest son, Bobby Kennedy III, born in 1984, took a different path from his politically famous family. Instead of following in his father’s legal or environmental footsteps, he pursued a career in entertainment. He attended Brown University, co-founded a now-defunct political news website, and later transitioned into filmmaking, directing a movie about Hunter S. Thompson called Fear and Loathing in Aspen. He married former CIA officer Amaryllis Fox in 2017, and they have two children together.
His daughter, Kick Kennedy, born in 1988, dabbled in both acting and activism. A graduate of Stanford University, she has worked in philanthropy and had minor acting roles, including a guest spot on Gossip Girl. She was once part of the New York socialite scene, dating high-profile figures like Harper Simon and billionaire Matthew Mellon.
Conor Kennedy, born in 1994, is best known for his brief romance with Taylor Swift in 2012. He has since shifted focus to activism and even made headlines in 2022 when he secretly joined Ukraine’s International Legion to fight against the Russian invasion, keeping his identity hidden to avoid special treatment.
Kyra Kennedy, born in 1995, was once notorious for being part of the “Snap Pack,” a group of wealthy young socialites who flaunted their lavish lifestyles on social media. She had her fair share of scandals, including an incident where she allegedly tried to use a fake ID to get into a nightclub, but in recent years, she has kept a lower profile.
Finn Kennedy, born in 1997, is the most private of the Kennedy children. A biology graduate from Brown University, he has worked on ocean conservation projects and was featured in a National Geographic documentary.
The youngest of the bunch, Aidan Kennedy, born in 2001, has shown political ambitions, interning for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign and later attending Harvard University. His birth, interestingly, coincided with his father’s arrest for protesting U.S. military activity in Vieques, Puerto Rico, leading to his middle name, “Vieques.”
