Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just added another strange video to his already unusual public file.
The 72-year-old Secretary of Health and Human Services posted a clip of himself grabbing two live black racer snakes with his bare hands during a visit to Dr. Mehmet Oz’s Palm Beach home. The snakes were tangled together on Oz’s patio when Kennedy stepped in to remove them.
His wife, Cheryl Hines, watched the whole thing unfold. She did not sound thrilled. “Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr Oz’s patio,” Kennedy captioned the video, posted May 26.
RFK Jr. Grabs Snakes With Bare Hands
The 49-second clip shows Kennedy walking toward the snakes before reaching down and snatching them up without gloves.
A voice in the video can be heard saying, “They were mating. So what were they?” Kennedy answered, “They’re black snakes.”
That did not calm Hines down. “You are crazy!” she said as Kennedy continued handling the reptiles.
Oz then asked the obvious question: “Are they biting?”
Kennedy replied, “Their mouths are huge!”
Seconds later, Hines sounded even more alarmed as Kennedy appeared to get bitten again.
“Okay, honey, let them go,” she said. “Oh my God. Bobby, please.”
Internet Reacts To The Strange Patio Moment
The video quickly drew reactions online, partly because it looked like exactly the kind of thing only Kennedy would casually post.
One commenter joked that Kennedy should apologize to the snakes for interrupting them. Another said Hines sounded less like she was cheering and more like she wanted the whole scene to end immediately.
Others praised Kennedy for jumping into action. “RFK Jr is one of a kind,” one supporter wrote. “Fearless. Takes charge and gets it done.”
The clip also fit a long-running part of Kennedy’s public identity. He has always been closely associated with animals, reptiles, and the outdoors.
Kennedy Has Long History With Animals
Kennedy grew up at Hickory Hill in a home filled with animals.
His sister, Kathleen Kennedy Townshend, once described the household as a “menagerie,” with horses, dogs, chickens, geese, goats, reptiles, a turtle in the laundry room, and even a sea lion in the swimming pool. Kennedy also once worked at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
So, in one sense, the snake video was not out of character. It was still a bizarre scene: a cabinet official, a celebrity doctor, two snakes, and Cheryl Hines begging him to put them down.
