Cheryl Hines has said some of her long-time friends distanced themselves after her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., suspended his presidential campaign last year and announced his support for Donald Trump’s re-election bid.
Cheryl Hines has said some of her long-time friends distanced themselves after her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The 60-year-old Curb Your Enthusiasm actress discussed the fallout over the switch in an interview with Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, for My View with Lara Trump on Fox News Channel.
In an advance clip shared with People magazine, Lara asked Cheryl how those close to her responded when Kennedy, 71, publicly endorsed Trump and joined his administration.
Lara said: “He originally ran for president as a Democrat, and then that comes to an end and he says, ‘I’m actually going to support the Republican candidate for president, but not just any Republican candidate, Donald Trump’.
“Did you hear from people, did you suddenly not hear from people? How did that go for you?”
Cheryl laughed before replying: “I heard from people. You know what, I was actually grateful for my good friends that had feelings about it, still have feelings about it, but at least would call me and say, ‘I can’t believe this is happening, you can’t let this happen!’”
She added: “I would rather that than somebody who I’ve known for 30 years just stop talking to me altogether.”
Cheryl continued: “I’ve experienced it all. And then I have some really good friends that, you know, we have thoughtful discussions where it’s, you know, you can say, ‘Wow, here’s something that happened that I didn’t like, that still bothers me, and here’s something that’s happening that I think is good’.”
The actress also said she valued friends who could “see both sides and it’s not black and white”, adding: “So I really appreciate those people.”
Cheryl’s full interview will air on Saturday (08.11.25) at 9pm ET.
Cheryl has been promoting her new book Unscripted and has spoken more openly about her husband’s political alliance with Trump, who appointed Kennedy as secretary of health and human services.
Appearing on The View last month, Cheryl said she had initially been “guarded” about her husband’s decision to back Trump. She said: “I have not been a political person.
“I haven’t posted anything on social media, other than to go out and vote. I never told people who they should vote for. I just said, ‘This is important, you should vote’.
“So with Bobby, that was a very difficult decision to make with President Trump. At the end of the day, President Trump and Bobby sat down and talked, and yes, they did have a lot of common goals.”
Kennedy and Trump have since launched a joint “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, or MAHA movement.
As health secretary, Kennedy has faced criticism for making unsubstantiated claims about links between autism and both Tylenol use and early circumcision, while continuing to question vaccine safety.
A source previously told People Cheryl “was very unhappy” with RFK Jr’s decision to join the Trump wagon, but was “making the best of it” because “she loves Bobby”.
The couple, who married in 2014, have appeared together at multiple White House events, including Kennedy’s confirmation hearings and Trump’s inauguration.
