Ahead of her book release, “Unscripted,” on Nov. 11, actress Cheryl Hines appeared on “The View” on Tuesday, where she discussed her and her husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s political journey and recent controversies.
Hines and Kennedy, who currently serves as Health and Human Services secretary, were married in 2014, after meeting at a Waterkeeper Alliance fundraiser in 2004.
Though at times the interview got heated, host Whoopi Goldberg told Hines, “We don’t often get people on this show who we can ask these questions to, and I appreciate that you came on.”
Is this the life Cheryl Hines imagined?
“When he proposed to you without a ring, I think there was some Spanish moss involved, is this the life you imagined?” Goldberg asked Hines.
Hines paused and laughed. “That’s why I called my book ‘Unscripted.’ I could not have written this story ahead of time,” she said. “No, it’s not the life I imagined, and I never imagined that I would meet Bobby Kennedy.”
Hines explained that she met Kennedy at a fundraiser for Waterkeeper with her co-star Larry David.
“Even when I met Bobby, I mean, he was living in New York; I was living in LA,” she said. “I had been in this sort of entertainment bubble, and then I meet him, and he’s an environmental attorney, and he’s fascinating, and he’s interesting, and he’s smart and funny, and completely different from anyone I had ever met in my life.”
Did Hines support Kennedy endorsing Trump?
Kennedy announced his presidential campaign in April 2023, as a Democrat. That October, he switched his campaign to independent status. Then, in August 2024, Kennedy dropped out of the race and endorsed President Donald Trump.
Hines described the decision to endorse Trump as “very difficult.”
At the beginning, Hines said she “was guarded about it.” For Kennedy to go from a Democrat to working with Trump, “that’s a leap,” she said. “But it’s also a leap of faith. He has a lot of supporters that are Republicans, independents and Democrats.”
“At the end of the day, President Trump and Bobby sat down and talked and yes, they did have a lot of common goals,” she said.
Hines said that some of their common goals are lowering pharmaceutical drug prices and bettering the health of Americans.
What does Hines think about the Tylenol scare?
On Sept. 22, Kennedy announced a link between the use of Tylenol during pregnancy and increased risk of autism.
“When your husband announced that he believed he found some causal links between Tylenol and autism, it created a lot of panic in women who were being told by their OBGYNs that Tylenol, if necessary, to treat pain during pregnancy is safe,” “The View” host Alyssa Farah Griffin said.
Griffin asked Hines what she would tell pregnant women who now feel “anxious and nervous, because their doctors are telling them one thing, but their top public health professional is telling them something very different.”
Hines said she remembers feeling anxious about everything she consumed while being pregnant with her daughter, Catherine.
Tylenol manufacturers say, “Consult your doctor before taking it,” Hines said. “To say, ‘Hey, consult your doctor before you take this,’ I agree with that, and I think that’s OK for moms to hear.”
‘View’ host calls Kennedy the least qualified HHS secretary in U.S. history
Host Sunny Hostin told Hines that Kennedy is the least qualified HHS secretary in United States history, and Hines disagreed.
Kennedy “has spent his career studying toxins, studying people’s health, fighting for one guy who was using Roundup for his job,” Hines said.
She continued, “Bobby’s background — everything I have seen him do — he has dedicated his career to suing big corporations because of toxins that have been affecting people’s health.”
Hines added that there have only been three HHS secretaries who have held M.D. degrees, including Otis R. Bowen (who served under President Ronald Reagan), Louis W. Sullivan (who served under President George W. Bush) and Tom Price (who served briefly under Trump).
Kennedy has largely practiced environmental law throughout his career. He was involved in major lawsuits against Monsanto, DuPont and Exxon. “He’s sued these companies because they were causing health problems,” Hines said.
