The Rampant RFK Jr. And Cheryl Hines Divorce Rumors, Explained

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may be packing his bags to join Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., but rumors suggest his wife, Cheryl Hines, might not follow. Instead, divorce may be on the horizon for RFK Jr. and Hines, and while much of it has to do with his headline-grabbing affair with journalist Olivia Nuzzi, it might not be the entire reason.

RFK Jr. and Nuzzi's alleged affair began when she profiled him for New York Magazine, after which the two remained in communication, creating a conflict of interest as Nuzzi continued to cover the 2024 election. Allegedly, the affair was all emotional and digital, with PageSix claiming they had "incredible" FaceTime sex. RFK Jr. denied the affair, claiming he repeatedly blocked her number to try to dissuade further communication. Journalist Jessica Read Kraus — who is familiar with both RFK Jr. and Nuzzi – wrote on her Substack, House Inhabit, that "once unblocked, [Nuzzi] bombarded him with increasingly pornographic photos and videos that he found difficult to resist." Apparently, RFK Jr. might take Nuzzi to court over the images she sent him. 

The Daily Mail reported that Hines was caught off guard by the whole situation and "firmly believed Bobby, in his seventh decade and with political aspirations, finally had his sex demons under control." However, it may have been too much wishful thinking for a man who had a sex diary and kept track of all the women he slept with.

Their marriage may have been doomed because of Trump

While Cheryl Hines might have to publicly deal with the fallout from the affair rumors, her marriage to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was reportedly already on thin ice due to his growing love affair with Donald Trump. Sources close to Hines say that despite her confusing political views, she did not anticipate a future dictated by the whims of the MAGA-verse, with a source dishing to PageSix, "She knew she was getting in with a Kennedy, who are known for being infamous womanizers. ... But she never signed up to be a member of Trump World!" 

Ever since RFK Jr. dropped out of the race for the White House and decided to go all in on Trump, Hines has reportedly been reluctant to go along for the ride — and her husband knew it. RFK Jr. told TMZ: "This is the opposite of what she would want to do. She went along with it because she loves me, and she wanted to be supportive of me, but it was not something that she ever encouraged."

It's a messy situation, but maybe the two women can find some common ground amidst their wayward significant others. After all, Olivia Nuzzi is going through her own legal battles with her ex-fiancé and Politico journalist Ryan Lizza, with Nuzzi claiming he tried to blackmail her back into a relationship after they broke up.