Actress Cheryl Hines is pushing back against critics and rumors surrounding her marriage to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and said their relationship remains strong despite media rumors of divorce that have followed her husband’s political transformation from Democrat to Trump administration official.
In a candid interview with The Wall Street Journal published August 12, the 59-year-old Curb Your Enthusiasm star addressed speculation about her marriage to the 71-year-old Kennedy, who now serves as Secretary of Health and Human Services in President Donald Trump’s cabinet.
“Bobby and I talk about everything, so that’s how we move through everything,” Hines told the Journal. “We’re really good friends, and we trust each other.”
The couple, who married in 2014, has faced intense scrutiny since Kennedy abandoned the Democratic Party in 2024 and joined Trump’s administration after dropping out of the presidential race as an independent candidate. The political shift has created a firestorm of criticism from Hollywood liberals and former Democratic allies who view Kennedy’s move as a betrayal.
Hines expressed genuine bewilderment at the intense reaction to her husband’s political realignment, particularly from people in her entertainment industry circles.
“At first, you’re thinking, ‘Wow. Why are they so angry or disappointed?’ Some people can’t even, I don’t know, they can’t even talk about it,” she shared. “It’s really rather strange, actually.”
The actress has faced particular criticism from within Hollywood, including from Laurie David, the ex-wife of her former Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star Larry David. Laurie David attacked Hines on social media, accusing her of playing the role of the “dutiful, adoring wife” and “setting women back decades.”
Hines fired back at these attacks, and said she found David’s criticism “odd” because “I don’t really have a relationship with her, so that was also even more surprising that she had so many feelings about me sitting behind my husband, supporting him.”
Hines maintains she is still friends with Larry David himself, even though he has been a vocal critic of Trump.
The marriage has also weathered allegations of infidelity that emerged in September 2024. New York magazine’s Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi was placed on leave after disclosing an alleged “personal” relationship with Kennedy. Nuzzi later admitted in a statement to People magazine that she had shared personal messages with a former reporting subject, though she never specified who and denied the relationship ever became “physical.” She ultimately left the publication.
Kennedy’s representative strongly denied the allegations, stating that he only met Nuzzi “once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.”
Hines took a dismissive approach to the swirling rumors about her marriage.
“I don’t think there’s any point to going through every rumor and headline to try to defend or explain it,” the actress explained.
“One would deduce that we love each other and are still married and whatever we’ve been through is behind us.”
Beyond defending her marriage, Hines also showed support for her husband’s Make America Healthy Again initiatives. The actress revealed she shares Kennedy’s skepticism about “settled science.”
“Is science ever settled?” Hines questioned during her interview. “Everything’s changing. Technology changes. Everything changes.”
The political transformation has been particularly challenging for Hines, who was previously a registered Democrat but now describes herself as an independent.
Hines, who shares a 21-year-old daughter Catherine Rose Young with her ex-husband Paul Young, has built her career on comedy roles in films like RV alongside Robin Williams and her long-running role on Curb Your Enthusiasm.