Times RFK Jr.'s Surprisingly Ripped Body Caused A Stir

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is no stranger to controversy. Over the years, his views on everything from childhood vaccines to the use of fluoride in public water systems to the COVID-19 pandemic have afforded him many sworn enemies and the label of a conspiracy theorist. In August 2024, after bowing out of the 2024 presidential campaign and throwing his weight behind Donald Trump, even members of his famous family penned a joint statement, wherein they denounced the move, referring to it as a "betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear" (via NBC News). 

RFK Jr.'s physique has also gotten everyone talking. "We all need to stay in good shape, and that's important for not just ourselves, our individual lives, our satisfaction, our relationships with our family, but it's also important for our country," he declared in a video for his Kennedy '24 campaign. To be fair, however, the politician is more than just in shape. He's ripped! Alas, that same ripped body has caused quite a stir more than a few times.

On June 24, 2023, a fitness coach set the internet ablaze when he posted a video of Robert F. Kennedy bench pressing at an outdoor gym. The kicker? RFK Jr. was also shirtless. As one can imagine, many took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to discuss the presidential hopeful's bare-chested chest presses. "He is jacked," one user tweeted. Meanwhile, another wrote, "Looking good." Still, others weren't as impressed. "Greatest presidential champion in history because........[checks notes]................he can bench press without a shirt? Gotcha," an unimpressed user tweeted.

"But you have to follow your heart. Believe that you have a unique group of talents and abilities that are going to allow you to accomplish something in an area that interests you. Work at that and try to make some kind of contribution to your community.

-Robert Kennedy, Jr. pic.twitter.com/khsbEvX4cv

— Ryan (@ryan__calder) June 24, 2023

While the post drew both praise and criticism, it got potential voters talking either way, and perhaps that was the plan all along. However, some argue that all of the social media antics ultimately played a role in the demise of RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign. "A main criticism I have of the RFK Jr. campaign is that it was ultimately way too online," Dominic Parker, a former western regional director for Students for Kennedy, told The Los Angeles Loyolan. "Money was spent like crazy in digital outreach, but hardly at all on fieldwork that's typical of successful campaigns."

However, as the old saying goes, hindsight is always 20/20. Merely one day after the video of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s bench pressing went viral, the presidential hopeful opted to post his very own shirtless workout video — only this time he was doing push-ups. Variety is the spice of life, after all. 

Along with a video of the scantily clad but also surprisingly buff RFK Jr. donning nothing more than a pair of stiff blue jeans, a belt, and a pair of tennis shoes, the presidential hopeful penned a lengthy caption wherein he vowed to "restore America as the global example of health & well-being" and urged his followers to do their morning calisthenics. (Is this the new gym, tan, laundry?) As one can imagine, many took to the comments section to sound off on RFK Jr.'s semi-naked exercise routine. "Finally, a candidate who could actually pass the presidential fitness test," one user quipped. Meanwhile, another user wrote, "No, no, and no. People do not care about your push-ups. Put your shirt on."

Although Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ultimately suspended his presidential campaign in August 2024, he learned that he had potentially made it to the White House after all when political opponent turned ally Donald J. Trump handpicked him to head up the Department of Health and Human Services — a selection widely considered controversial. True to form, RFK Jr. stoked the fires when he confessed he was preparing for his upcoming confirmation hearing by spending time in the gym. And once again, he was shirtless. "Practicing moves for my confirmation hearing," he penned to Instagram on December 1, along with a video of himself doing pull-ups with another enthusiastic and shirtless gym goer while "Eye of the Tiger" roared throughout the fitness facility. 

It should be noted, however, that given that the Senate Finance Committee is made up mostly of Republicans, RFK Jr. probably didn't expect too much opposition at his confirmation hearing. But hey, he had the perfect ace up his sleeve for that possibility — he could always challenge them to a pushup contest.

Sadly, it's long been rumored that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. achieves his ripped physique through the use of steroids — no doubt another scandal that brutally rocked his reputation. In May 2024, RFK Jr.'s cousin and JFK's look-alike grandson, Jack Schlossberg, even mocked him in an Instagram video for his purported steroid use. "You can always tell when a horse is being pumped full of testosterone, steroids doesn't make the horse think any better," he quipped in a fake Southern accent. 

It should be noted that RFK Jr. has vehemently denied the claims that he uses steroids. "I take testosterone replacement, which are appropriate to my age, and then I take a big fistful of nutrients," he told NewsMax in July 2023 (via Inside Edition). However, the Drug Enforcement Agency defines anabolic steroids as "synthetically produced variants of the naturally occurring male hormone testosterone that are abused in an attempt to promote muscle growth, enhance athletic or other physical performance, and improve physical appearance." In short, it comes down to how much you're taking and why. 

Unfortunately, the shirtless gym videos and rumors of steroid use are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the stir surrounding RFK Jr.'s ripped physique. Black Friday got a lot darker when RFK Jr.'s wife, Cheryl Hines, posted a video of herself schilling her candle and body cream line with her hubby in the background ... taking a shower. "You can't, you can't take a shower. I'm doing a video," Hines scolded her husband in the video while perfectly shielding her his private parts with her strategically placed head. "You gotta give me a second. I'm doing a video for Hines + Young," she added in what was clearly a carefully curated stunt to drive sales up.

Cheryl Hines, the co-star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, promotes products from her health and beauty line for Black Friday, while her husband, the Secretary of Health and Human Services-designate, Robert Kennedy Jr., showers behind her. pic.twitter.com/UNeZg38jWr

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) November 30, 2024

Shortly after hitting post, Hines received an enormous amount of backlash. "Cheryl Hines ... you are such a disappointment. Hopefully your products won't sell and you will fade into obscurity along with your disgusting husband," one X user seethed. Others, however, congratulated the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star for thinking outside the box. "So Cheryl Hines is fully embracing and commercializing #MAHA. Good for her, warmly acknowledging and supporting her husband... AND thumbing her nose at Hollywood. Cheryl knows what sells," another user tweeted. Either way, we'll file this one under weird things about Cheryl Hines and RFK Jr.'s marriage everyone ignores.