RFK Jr.

When her husband Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed by an assassin right before her eyes in June 1968, Ethel was pregnant with their 11th child. At the time, Ethel could not imagine a life without Bobby — the man she had devoted her entire life to for 18 years. Bobby was her soulmate; her everything. “I love Bobby through eternity,” she once told future suitor Andy Williams. “Do you know how long eternity is? Well, it’s a hundred times longer than you think it is.” Although Ethel would try to date other men after Bobby’s death, it soon became clear enough to all of them that no one could ever replace Bobby in her heart, or her home. And why would any man in his right mind want to take over the immense challenge of playing father to 11 kids, several of whom were now unruly teenage boys partaking in drugs and constantly getting themselves into trouble? It was a big ask of any man who might be thinking of marrying #RFK’s widow, and a huge, heavy cross for Ethel to bear all by herself, but — that’s how she wanted it to be. It was a choice Ethel made not to seek another husband, to remain loyal to Bobby’s memory and raise their children as best she could. As a result, Ethel’s Hickory Hill home was a literal zoo (mainly due to RFK Jr.’s fascination with exotic animals kept as family pets). Her children were rarely disciplined, and were mostly raised by each other and an ever-changing array of nannies. Ethel seemed to find it impossible to control her large brood — especially the oldest boys Joe, Bobby Jr., and David. Nothing she tried worked, so she often resorted to the ultimate in “tough love": physical beatings, emotional abuse, and throwing them out of the house; threatening to disown them and cut them off of their family inheritances. The assassinations of their father and uncle #JFK, combined with the abuse and neglect their mother subjected them to during their youth would leave lasting, lifetime scars on the eldest sons, especially David, who died of a drug overdose in 1983, and Bobby Jr. — current Secretary of Health and Human Services for President Trump — who was a heroin addict for 14 years. The rift between #RFKJr. and Ethel never healed; she reportedly refused to see him on her deathbed and cut Bobby Jr. out of her will. Secretary #Kennedy was also shunned by his siblings at Ethel’s funeral, as revealed in a recent New York Magazine cover story. In Ep. 5, we will read and discuss this chapter about Ethel’s struggles in the immediate aftermath of RFK’s assassination from J. Randy Tarraborrelli’s book “The #Kennedys: After #Camelot.” Listen to every episode of “The Kennedys: After Camelot” series here. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxlfmKsmC90spusOEuGehKdp7&si=Sy1Tm1THhSTsrxD_

When her husband Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed by an assassin right before her eyes in June 1968, Ethel was pregnant with their 11th child. At the time, Ethel could not imagine a life without Bobby — the man she had devoted her entire life to for 18 years. Bobby was her soulmate; her everything. “I love Bobby through eternity,” she once told future suitor Andy Williams. “Do you know how long eternity is? Well, it’s a hundred times longer than you think it is.” Although Ethel would try to date other men after Bobby’s death, it soon became clear enough to all of them that no one could ever replace Bobby in her heart, or her home. And why would any man in his right mind want to take over the immense challenge of playing father to 11 kids, several of whom were now unruly teenage boys partaking in drugs and constantly getting themselves into trouble? It was a big ask of any man who might be thinking of marrying #RFK’s widow, and a huge, heavy cross for Ethel to bear all by herself, but — that’s how she wanted it to be. It was a choice Ethel made not to seek another husband, to remain loyal to Bobby’s memory and raise their children as best she could. As a result, Ethel’s Hickory Hill home was a literal zoo (mainly due to RFK Jr.’s fascination with exotic animals kept as family pets). Her children were rarely disciplined, and were mostly raised by each other and an ever-changing array of nannies. Ethel seemed to find it impossible to control her large brood — especially the oldest boys Joe, Bobby Jr., and David. Nothing she tried worked, so she often resorted to the ultimate in “tough love": physical beatings, emotional abuse, and throwing them out of the house; threatening to disown them and cut them off of their family inheritances. The assassinations of their father and uncle #JFK, combined with the abuse and neglect their mother subjected them to during their youth would leave lasting, lifetime scars on the eldest sons, especially David, who died of a drug overdose in 1983, and Bobby Jr. — current Secretary of Health and Human Services for President Trump — who was a heroin addict for 14 years. The rift between #RFKJr. and Ethel never healed; she reportedly refused to see him on her deathbed and cut Bobby Jr. out of her will. Secretary #Kennedy was also shunned by his siblings at Ethel’s funeral, as revealed in a recent New York Magazine cover story. In Ep. 5, we will read and discuss this chapter about Ethel’s struggles in the immediate aftermath of RFK’s assassination from J. Randy Tarraborrelli’s book “The #Kennedys: After #Camelot.” Listen to every episode of “The Kennedys: After Camelot” series here. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxlfmKsmC90spusOEuGehKdp7&si=Sy1Tm1THhSTsrxD_

The #Kennedys adorned the cover of New York Magazine this week for the first time in many years -- but for all the wrong reasons. This lengthy cover story exposes the rift within the #Kennedy clan caused by one of their own: #RFK and Ethel's son #RFKJr, who is now Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Donald #Trump. In the latest episode of my podcast series "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." we will read the NY Magazine article, and discuss how RFK Jr.'s #MAHA agenda, combined with President Trump's #DOGE cuts to healthcare, threaten to destroy everything #JFK, Bobby and Ted Kennedy built -- taking the Kennedy legacy down in flames. Listen to ALL EPISODES of "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." in this playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxle7yo95On-lGF6VOftoYvLi&si=Ess8A_PspOx6zgj5

In this episode of "The Kennedy Chronicles" we explore the special relationship between the #Kennedy family and the nation of #Israel. Young #JFK visited #Palestine in 1939, later again as Senator after the creation of Israel, and as president, cemented U.S. support for Israel by creating our official special relationship in 1961. Kennedy was also the first American president to sell arms to Israel. Read more about John F. Kennedy's foreign policy towards Israel in this thread: https://twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer/status/1747893880345722925 President Kennedy's younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy, first visited British Mandate of Palestinein 1948, one month before Israel's Declaration of Independence. Twenty-two years old at the time, he was reporting on the tense situation in the region for The Boston Post. During his stay, he grew to admire the Jewish inhabitants of the area and their fight for freedom in the Israel/Arab war. #RFK became a staunch defender of Israel and as Senator voted to send the country 50 Phantom Jets for defense. This angered a 24 year-old Palestinian immigrant named Sirhan Sirhan, who cited Kennedy's #Zionism as the reason why he murdered Sen. Kennedy in 1968. Read more about RFK's relationship with Israel, and how it contributed to his assassination here: https://twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer/status/1747829384172454243 The third Kennedy brother, Sen. Edward Kennedy, #RFKJr, and all of the Kennedy grandchildren, continue the tradition of their ancestors as committed #Zionists to the present day. Read more about the successive generations of Kennedys and Israel in this thread: https://twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer/status/1903241440999727235 Join me and host S.L. Kanathan for a fascinating discussion of the Kennedys and Israel on this week's episode of "The Kennedy Chronicles." Premiers Tuesday, May 27 at 8 PM Eastern.

In this new History Book Club audio podcast series, historian Lori Spencer reads and discusses selected chapters from "After Camelot: A History of the Kennedy family from 1968-Present" by New York Times bestselling author and prolific Kennedy chronicler J. Randy Taraborelli. This book picks up the story where my investigative true crime 13-part podcast series "Who Killed Bobby Kennedy?" left off: what happened to the #Kennedys after the assassinations of #JFK and #RFK? In Episode 2, we tell the sad story of Rosemary Kennedy, who was infamously subjected to a lobotomy operation at age 23 to "cure" what was most likely a mild, treatable form of #autism. The failed operation destroyed young Rosemary's brain and left her severely handicapped for the rest of her life. We will also explore how Rosemary's tragedy was covered up by the politically ambitious Kennedy family for decades, until one brave sibling -- Rosemary's sister Eunice Kennedy #Shriver -- made inclusion and proper treatment of mental and physical disabilities her life's mission and founded the #SpecialOlympics in 1968. President #Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services is #RFKJr, nephew of Eunice and Rosemary Kennedy. His recent controversial statements on the causes of autism and plans for an autism registry database set off a firestorm of anger among disability advocates, which we will discuss in a historical context of #eugenics and outdated approaches to viewing people with intellectual disabilities. I hope you'll enjoy this excellent book along with me, as we trace every branch of the Kennedy family tree from Joe and Rose Kennedy through their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; their tragedies and triumphs, told accurately and thoroughly by the author. Join me for "The Kennedys: After Camelot" -- a continuing history book club series that explores the lives of Sen. Edward Kennedy, Eunice and Sargeant Shriver, JFK's sisters Jean and Pat, the Lawfords, the Smiths, Ethel, Jackie, and Joan Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, JFK Jr., and of course, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. as well. This history book club series is in memory of RFK's widow, the late Ethel Skakel Kennedy. Listen to ALL EPISODES of "The Kennedys: After Camelot" here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxlcI6SqtEgPeYlB7MjBPUoZY&si=uc-5eYJjZ52jKDfc Buy the book and follow along in your copy with this book club reading! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/after-camelot-j-randy-taraborrelli/1110780428 Support my work with a donation or monthly membership http://LoriSpencer.wordpress.com/donate Buy a book from my wishlist for a future history book club reading here: http://GiftApp.com/RealLoriSpencer

Over the past two months in our history book club, we have been reading and discussing excerpted chapters from "Robert F. #Kennedy Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream," an unauthorized #biography of President #Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services #RFKJr., written by Jerry Oppenheimer. The author also penned a scathing biography of RFK's late mother, Ethel Kennedy, who passed away in October 2024 at age 96. Join me for the last episode of "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." -- an Epilogue by the author — and let me hear your thoughts on the book in the comments. Listen to all episodes in this playlist. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0M1qzXbdpvFmjPRuxkPr8tn0L1Ck4O1&si=bDUF1E1ZRRF36A9X

Our exploration President #Trump's new Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s tumultuous and troubled family life continues in Episode 18. In the latest episode of this History Book Club series, "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." we discuss the suicide of Mary Richardson Kennedy, Bobby’s second of three wives. During the final months of her life, while going through a prolonged and ugly divorce, Bobby's second wife Mary Richardson Kennedy discovered a secret diary her husband kept documenting scores of affairs he had during their 16-year marriage. Mary gave the 398-page diary -- along with more evidence, including text messages, phone logs, and photos she had found in Bobby's phone -- to her divorce lawyer for safekeeping. She also gave rather curious instructions to her family members that if anything happened to her, she wanted them to leak the diary to the media so that the world would know the truth about RFK Jr. Mary was also in the process of writing an affidavit detailing her response to terrible allegations Bobby made against her in divorce court -- allegations she strongly denied. But before she could finish and file the document with the court, Mary took her own life on May 16, 2012. In these last two chapters we will explore the last days of Mary’s life, the legal battle between the Richardsons and the Kennedys over who would have control of her remains, and Bobby’s bizarre secret exhumation of Mary’s body from the Kennedy family burial plot. We will also dive into the Bobby’s relationship with Cheryl Hines — the married TV star of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” — and the secret affair that eventually led to their 2014 wedding. In more than a decade of marriage, RFK Jr. has allegedly cheated several times on Cheryl, too. What goes around comes around, right? If the old saying is true, “you can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his wife,” how, then, will the history books ultimately judge Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.? Over the weeks ahead, we will be reading and discussing excerpted chapters from "Robert F. #Kennedy Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream," an unauthorized #biography of #RFKJr. written by Jerry Oppenheimer. The author also penned a scathing biography of RFK's late mother, Ethel Kennedy, who passed away in October 2024 at age 96. Join me for "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." -- a continuing book club series -- and let me hear your thoughts on the book in the comments. Listen to all episodes in this playlist.https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0M1qzXbdpvFmjPRuxkPr8tn0L1Ck4O1&si=bDUF1E1ZRRF36A9X Follow me on Twitter:http://Twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer Subscribe on Rumble for UNCENSORED videos YouTube won't let me show you!http://Rumble.com/LoriSpencer My blog: http://LoriSpencer.WordPress.com Join as a monthly member at:http://Patreon.com/LoriSpencerhttp://BuyMeACoffee.com/LoriSpencer Got a book you'd like me to read in a future book club series? Choose one from my Wishlist!http://GiftApp.com/RealLoriSpencer

Our exploration President #Trump's new Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s tumultuous and troubled family life continues in Episode 17. In the latest episode of this History Book Club series, "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." we delve into the "lust demons" that Kennedy has done battle with since his teenage years. In the final months of her life, while going through a prolonged and ugly divorce, Bobby's second wife Mary Richardson Kennedy discovered a secret diary her husband kept documenting scores of affairs he had during their 16-year marriage. Mary gave the 398-page diary -- along with more evidence, including text messages, phone logs, and photos she had found in Bobby's phone -- to her divorce lawyer for safekeeping. She also gave rather curious instructions to her family members that if anything happened to her, she wanted them to leak the diary to the media so that the world would know the truth about RFK Jr. Mary was also in the process of writing an affidavit detailing her response to terrible allegations Bobby made against her in divorce court -- allegations she strongly denied. But before she could finish and file the document with the court, Mary took her own life in 2012. That important document did not surface until 13 years later, when it was leaked to Mother Jones in January 2025, during Mr. Kennedy's confirmation hearings for a cabinet post in the #Trump administration, along with recordings RFK Jr. had been surreptitiously making of Mary without her knowledge or consent. It is only now, more than a decade after her death, that we finally get to hear Mary's side of this dark story. At last, Mary is allowed to speak in her own defense -- even from beyond the grave. Over the weeks ahead, we will be reading and discussing excerpted chapters from "Robert F. #Kennedy Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream," an unauthorized #biography of RFK Jr. written by Jerry Oppenheimer. The author also penned a scathing biography of RFK's late mother, Ethel Kennedy, who passed away in October 2024 at age 96. Join me for "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." -- a continuing book club series -- and let me hear your thoughts on the book in the comments. Listen to all episodes in this playlist. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0M1qzXbdpvFmjPRuxkPr8tn0L1Ck4O1&si=bDUF1E1ZRRF36A9X Follow me on Twitter: http://Twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer Subscribe on Rumble for UNCENSORED videos YouTube won't let me show you! http://Rumble.com/LoriSpencer My blog: http://LoriSpencer.WordPress.com Join as a monthly member at: http://Patreon.com/LoriSpencer http://BuyMeACoffee.com/LoriSpencer Got a book you'd like me to read in a future book club series? Chose one from my Wishlist! http://GiftApp.com/RealLoriSpencer

Our exploration President #Trump's new Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s tumultuous and troubled family life continues in Episode 16. In the latest episode of this History Book Club series, "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." we tell the tragic tale of his cousin #JFKJr's fatal 1999 plane crash. President Kennedy's only son died alongside his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette when the small aircraft he was piloting took a nosedive into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard on July 16, 1999. In a sad note of irony, the crash happened not far from his late mother Jackie's Vineyard estate, and very near the bridge where his uncle Teddy's Chappaquiddick car wreck had occurred exactly 30 years earlier -- almost to the day. #RFKJr and #JFKJr were reportedly very close, and indeed, despite the chilly relations between the JFK and RFK families, they forged a friendship that endured. Bobby was the only RFK cousin John bequeathed money to in his last will and testament. Over the weeks ahead, we will be reading and discussing excerpted chapters from "Robert F. #Kennedy Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream," an unauthorized #biography of RFK Jr. written by Jerry Oppenheimer. The author also penned a scathing biography of RFK's late mother, Ethel Kennedy, who passed away in October 2024 at age 96. Join me for "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." -- a continuing book club series -- and let me hear your thoughts on the book in the comments. Listen to all episodes in this playlist. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0M1qzXbdpvFmjPRuxkPr8tn0L1Ck4O1&si=bDUF1E1ZRRF36A9X Follow me on Twitter: http://Twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer Subscribe on Rumble for UNCENSORED videos YouTube won't let me show you! http://Rumble.com/LoriSpencer My blog: http://LoriSpencer.WordPress.com Join as a monthly member at: http://Patreon.com/LoriSpencer http://BuyMeACoffee.com/LoriSpencer Got a book you'd like me to read in a future book club series? Chose one from my Wishlist! http://GiftApp.com/RealLoriSpencer

Our exploration President #Trump's new Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s tumultuous and troubled family life continues in Episode 15. In the latest episode of this History Book Club series, "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." we will explore the #RFK family's connection to the savage murder of an innocent 15 year-old girl in 1975 -- a case that remains unsolved to this day. As you heard in Ep. 14 last week, Bobby's younger brother Michael was charged in 1997 for statutory rape when it was discovered that he had been carrying on a secret five-year affair with the family babysitter, who was an underage teenager at the time. When cousin Michael Skakel got involved -- in an attempt to help the teenage girl -- the powerful Kennedys vowed to destroy him. (And indeed, within a short time Skakel was arrested as a suspect in the murder of his former Greenwich neighbor, 15 year-old Martha Moxley, who had been killed more than two decades earlier.) Michael Skakel was convicted for Martha's murder in 2002 but only served 11 years of a life sentence because once again, Kennedy family power and money does a lot of talking in the so-called "justice' system. (As we discussed in Ep. 14 with the rape trial of Kennedy cousin William Kennedy Smith.) We will dive into how #RFKJr and the Kennedys covered up the truth about Martha Moxley's murder; circling their wagons of high-priced lawyers, media operatives, and publicists to influence the court of public opinion, successfully getting Skakel's conviction overturned and securing his release from prison. RFK Jr. says his cousin is innocent of the crime, and did not kill Martha Moxley. If that is true, then, who did? In this episode, I'll present the evidence, and the suspects, and let you decide. YOU are the jury. Over the weeks ahead, we will be reading and discussing excerpted chapters from "Robert F. #Kennedy Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream," an unauthorized #biography of RFK Jr. written by Jerry Oppenheimer. The author also penned a scathing biography of RFK's late mother, Ethel Kennedy, who passed away in October 2024 at age 96. Join me for "The Dark Side of RFK Jr." -- a continuing book club series -- and let me hear your thoughts on the book in the comments. Listen to all episodes in this playlist. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0M1qzXbdpvFmjPRuxkPr8tn0L1Ck4O1&si=QsNpxw8coWS4bMe4