John Mulaney took aim at US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a stand-up set at the Hollywood Bowl, making a savage joke about his marriage to actor Cheryl Hines and his infidelity. Performing as part of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, the comedian claimed he had met Kennedy a decade ago while both were involved with the environmental organisation Riverkeeper.
“That’s how much he shouldn’t be in the government — I know him,” Mulaney quipped, according to Entertainment Weekly. After mimicking Kennedy’s gravelly voice, he delivered the punchline: “He’s comedy adjacent, you know. He’s married to that woman from Curb Your Enthusiasm and cheats on her like a dog.” The joke reportedly left the audience silent, with some audible gasps.
Kennedy, 72, has been involved in multiple cheating scandals across his three marriages. During his first marriage to Emily Ruth Black, he allegedly cheated repeatedly, according to biographer Jerry Oppenheimer. He was married to his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, from 1994 to 2012, and reportedly admitted to cheating on her at least 37 times in audio footage obtained by Mother Jones in 2025.
Kennedy married Hines in 2014. Last year, he was at the centre of another cheating scandal involving former Politico reporter Ryan Lizza and journalist Olivia Nuzzi. Kennedy denied having a romantic or sexual relationship with Nuzzi. Hines later commented on the rumoured affair, saying: “I think you always have to consider the source, right?”
Mulaney also mocked Kennedy’s past work with Riverkeeper, impersonating his voice to say: “His old job was keeping the Hudson River, whose native fish is tied-off used condoms, clean. Now I’m in charge of your bones and your tummy.” The Independent has contacted Kennedy’s representative for comment.
