Cheryl Hines Reveals RFK Jr.'s Wild Marriage Idea Amid Public Outcry

Actor Cheryl Hines disclosed Tuesday that husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, proposed a fake separation to spare her public scrutiny over his vaccine skepticism.

In an interview on “CBS Mornings” to promote Hines’ upcoming memoir “Unscripted,” the show noted that Hines wrote about Kennedy’s unusual idea in the book.

“Was that even a consideration at the time?” CBS correspondent Natalie Morales asked the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star.

“No. I didn’t understand what — how that was going to help,” Hines replied. “I did not. But I understood what he was talking about. I appreciated it.”

On another personal front, Hines took a swipe at the Kennedy family’s disavowal of RFK Jr. for his widely condemned health views.

“I thought one of their virtues was that family came first, and I admired that,” she began. “So when some of his family decided to ― there’s no other way to say it than attack him publicly ― it was disappointing.”

One of the more prominent family voices was Caroline Kennedy, whose criticism of RFK Jr. continued through his Cabinet confirmation hearing.

“He lacks any relevant government, financial, management or medical experience,” she wrote in a letter pleading with senators not to confirm him. “His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed.”

“I don’t think there’s any point to going through every rumor and headline to try to defend or explain it,” Hines told The Wall Street Journal in August, adding later in the interview, “Bobby and I talk about everything, so that’s how we move through everything, and we’re really good friends, and we trust each other.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Cheryl Hines walk together at the White House in May.

Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images