Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just added another wild chapter to his long-running series of terrifying animal encounters – terrifying for the animals, that is. This time, the Health and Human Services secretary decided to grab two wild snakes bare-handed while visiting Dr. Mehmet Oz’s beachfront mansion in West Palm Beach, Florida. The video was posted on X, where it quickly became the latest viral moment in his ongoing saga with the animal kingdom.
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According to Mediaite, the video shows Kennedy cornering two mating black racers on the patio, then scooping them up in just eight seconds. His wife, Cheryl Hines, can be heard in the background sounding anything but supportive. “You are nuts,” she tells him as the snakes start squirming in his hands. One of them bites him on the finger, but Kennedy barely reacts, just chuckling as the reptiles thrash around.
“Honey, honey, let it go,” Hines pleads, her voice rising in panic. “Oh my God!… Bobby, Bobby, please!” Dr. Oz, standing nearby, asks if the snakes are biting, and Kennedy casually confirms they are. The whole scene plays out like a mix of a nature documentary and a reality show gone wrong.
Kennedy tried to downplay Hines’ reaction in his post
As if the whole encounter wasn’t horrifying enough, RFK Jr. went one step further claiming his wife was actually cheering him on. That’s a stretch, considering her tone sounds more like someone watching a horror movie than someone celebrating a wildlife victory. The snakes, thankfully, are not venomous, so Kennedy walked away unscathed, that is, if you don’t count the bites and the internet’s judgment.
This isn’t the first time Kennedy has found himself in the middle of an animal-related controversy. His history with wildlife is long and, frankly, kind of baffling. Back in 2024, he admitted to placing a dead bear cub in Central Park a decade earlier, staging it next to a bike to make it look like an accident.
Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr Oz's patio. pic.twitter.com/A0iiRzOeIF
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) May 26, 2026
He also once chainsawed the head off a dead whale that washed up on a Massachusetts beach, then bungee-corded it to the top of his car for a five-hour drive home. His daughter, Kick Kennedy, described the experience as “the rankest thing on the planet,” especially since whale juice kept dripping into the car windows every time they accelerated.
His fascination with animals blurs the line between curiosity and outright desecration
According to The Week, years ago, RFK Jr. talked about putting baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed his hawks, a practice that even his own family found disturbing. Caroline Kennedy, his cousin and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, once wrote a scathing letter calling him a “predator” whose actions would have disgusted the previous generation of Kennedys.
Then there’s the time he cut the penis off a dead raccoon he found on the side of the highway, all while his kids waited in the car. He later joked about it in his journals, reflecting on how weird some of his family members had turned out to be.
I was at the gym one morning and someone was working next to me in jeans. Thought it was a cosplay, but it was actually him lol
— Jon D Holiday (@jondholiday) May 26, 2026
Kennedy has also faced allegations of eating dog meat, though he denies it. In a text to a friend, he reportedly sent a photo of himself eating what he claimed was a goat but what the friend insisted was a dog. He later clarified that it was definitely a goat, but the damage to his reputation was already done. And let’s not forget the time he claimed a worm had eaten part of his brain, only to joke about eating five more during the 2024 presidential race.
Babe wake up. A new RFK animal encounter just dropped https://t.co/Vl5Tn2BAPs
— Joe Perticone (@JoePerticone) May 26, 2026
Despite all this, Kennedy has always positioned himself as a champion of nature and conservation. This was his core public identity from the mid-1980s through the 2010s. Many environmental groups and media outlets praised him as a passionate conservationist during this period.
His role in the current administration as Health and Human Services secretary might make you think he’d be more cautious about maintaining this image, but apparently, that’s not the case. The video of him wrangling the snakes is just the latest example of his approach to nature.
— Casey (@CD1more) May 26, 2026
The internet, of course, had a field day with the video
The comment section was full of reactions ranging from amusement to outright horror. Bulwark reporter Joe Perticone reposted it on X with the caption, “Babe wake up. A new RFK animal encounter just dropped.” Some people praised his fearlessness, while others questioned his judgment. Either way, it’s clear that Kennedy’s animal encounters are becoming a running theme in his public persona.
If you’re wondering what’s next for Kennedy and his wildlife adventures, the answer is probably more of the same. Whether it’s snakes, whales, or roadkill raccoons, he seems determined to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s considered normal when it comes to interacting with animals. And if his wife’s and the internet’s reaction is any indication, he might want to think twice before picking up the next creature he comes across.
(Featured image: Gage Skidmore)
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