Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was bitten after picking up two wild black racer snakes on the patio of Dr. Mehmet Oz’s residence on May 26, 2026.
Video posted by Kennedy on X shows him grabbing the two snakes in approximately eight seconds. His wife, actress Cheryl Hines, repeatedly urged him to stop.
“You are nuts!” Hines said. As one snake bit his finger, she added, “Honey, honey, let it go. Oh my God! Bobby, Bobby, please!”
Kennedy did not release the snakes. He examined his finger and continued holding the animals as they moved in his hands. Dr. Oz asked if the snakes were biting.
“Yeah,” Kennedy replied, according to the video.
Black racers are non-venomous colubrid snakes common in Florida. They can bite when handled, but their bites cause no serious medical effects beyond minor puncture wounds.
Kennedy was dressed in a light blue dress shirt, blue tie, and blue dress pants. He was barefoot except for black dress socks. The incident occurred on the patio of Oz’s beachfront mansion in West Palm Beach.
In his post on X, Kennedy described the event and downplayed his wife’s reaction, saying she was cheerleading as he caught the snakes.
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The video added to a series of public incidents involving Kennedy and animals. In 2024, Kennedy acknowledged placing a dead bear cub in Central Park in New York City nearly a decade earlier.
He said he found the cub on the side of the road and staged the carcass to appear as a bicycle accident.
Kennedy’s daughter, Kick Kennedy, previously described how her father removed the head of a dead whale with a chainsaw on a Massachusetts beach and transported it on his car roof to New York.
Kennedy, 72, serves as HHS Secretary in the Trump administration. He has maintained a long-standing interest in wildlife and the outdoors, often presenting such encounters as part of his personal approach to nature.
No medical treatment details were released following the snake bites. Black racer bites typically require only basic first aid.
Hines, known for her role on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” appeared visibly concerned in the footage. She continued speaking to Kennedy as he held the snakes, which became agitated and moved around in his grip.
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The incident drew immediate attention online after Kennedy shared the video. It is the latest example of Kennedy’s direct engagement with animals in uncontrolled settings, consistent with his public persona developed over decades as an environmental lawyer and activist before entering government.
Dr. Oz, a physician and former television host, was present during the event but did not intervene in the handling of the snakes.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the video remained available on Kennedy’s X account. Reactions ranged from amusement at the episode to questions about the appropriateness of the behavior for a cabinet-level official.
Kennedy has not issued further public statements beyond the original X post. The White House and HHS had no immediate comment on the matter.
