RFK Jr. addressed social media concerns by sharing a video of himself and his wife, Cheryl Hines, carefully handling a rescued venomous rattlesnake.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, recently responded to social media criticism regarding his snake-handling antics by posting a new video featuring a venomous rattlesnake rescue. The video, shared on Instagram, aims to reassure viewers about his approach to handling snakes after earlier footage sparked concern.
In the Instagram clip, Kennedy Jr. is seen in his home office when he receives a notification about a snake in his driveway. “Hold on, guys. I’ll be back in a flash,” he says before grabbing a bucket and a small net to head outside.
Once outside, Kennedy Jr. carefully scoops up the rattlesnake, drawing gasps from onlookers. After securing the snake in a bucket, he demonstrates how to safely handle it by pinning its head and lifting it toward the camera. “His fangs are in there. I don’t want to touch them,” he explains. “This is a beautiful snake. This is a Western Diamondback. You can tell by these rings at the end of his tail.”
He then asks his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, to bring him a pillowcase for transporting the snake before releasing it back into the wild. This video appears to be a direct response to the backlash he received from a previous video shared on X, where he handled two nonvenomous black racer snakes.
In that earlier clip, filmed on Dr. Mehmet Oz’s patio, Kennedy Jr. was seen grabbing the black racers with his bare hands while Hines looked on in disbelief. “Honey, honey … why?” she exclaimed as he approached the snakes. Despite her protests, Kennedy Jr. lunged at the reptiles, lifting them by their tails as they bit at his hands.
With a smile, he remarked, “Black snakes, they’re biting me,” while Hines continued to express her concern, saying, “Bobby, please! Bobby, Bobby, please.” Later, she told him, “You are nuts.” This video was captioned, “Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr. Oz’s patio.”
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, black racer snakes are nonvenomous and generally pose no threat to humans, although they may bite if they feel threatened. The stark contrast between the two videos—one featuring harmless snakes and the other a venomous rattlesnake—has led some social media users to question whether Kennedy Jr. is taking unnecessary risks in his wildlife encounters.
As he continues to engage with his audience through social media, Kennedy Jr.’s snake-handling videos have sparked both fascination and concern, highlighting the fine line between adventure and safety in the realm of wildlife interaction. His latest video serves as a reminder of the importance of proper handling techniques when dealing with potentially dangerous animals.
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.