The Health and Human Services secretary’s second marriage lasted from 1994 until Mary’s death in 2012.

RFK Jr. compares Cheryl Hines ‘unfavorably’ to late wife Mary Richardson, new book says

The Health and Human Services secretary's second marriage lasted from 1994 until Mary's death in 2012.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

EW's editorial guidelines

April 14, 2026 7:30 a.m. ET

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; Cheryl Hines; Mary Richardson Kennedy. Credit:

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty; Daniele Venturelli/Getty; Stephen Lovekin/Getty

- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. allegedly compared his spouse Cheryl Hines to Mary Richardson Kennedy, his former wife who died in 2012.

- The Secretary of Health and Human Services reportedly talks about Richardson's "beauty" and her "razor-­sharp intellect," among other qualities.

- *RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise *is available for purchase wherever books are sold.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is looking back fondly on his second marriage, a new book claims.

According to *RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise *by Isabel Vincent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services has compared his current wife, Cheryl Hines, "unfavorably" to his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy. Hines and RFK Jr. wed in 2014, two years after Mary's death. RFK Jr. had been married to Mary since 1994.

Vincent's book claims that RFK Jr. "seems to have drifted away from" the *Curb Your Enthusiasm *actress and "no longer desires to spend much time with her." The book continues: "Kennedy spends a lot of time in private conversations comparing Hines unfavorably to Mary" despite Mary's death over a decade earlier.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mary Richardson Kennedy in 2010.

Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic

RFK Jr. is said to talk about Mary's "beauty, her razor-­ sharp intellect, her sense of humor, her elegance, her grace... There is no doubt that she was the greatest love of his life,” a source told Vincent.

RFK Jr. and Mary, an architect, met in 1993 and wed a year later following Kennedy's divorce from his first wife, Emily Black. They shared four children: Conor Kennedy, Kyra Kennedy, Aidan Kennedy, and William "Finn" Kennedy. Kennedy Jr. has two other children, Robert “Bobby" Kennedy III and Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, from his marriage to Black.

Hines and Kennedy Jr. in 2024.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Kennedy's marriage to Mary was tumultuous, allegedly marred by affairs and bullying. "He definitely gaslit her and told her she was crazy and that her accusations about other women were fantasies," the source told Vincent.

Both Kennedy and Mary were in a 12-step program, and she struggled with sobriety. He filed for divorce from her in 2010, which led to arguments about their children, his relationship with Hines, and money, per PEOPLE.

RFK Jr. moved his ex-wife’s remains from Kennedy family plot to the edge of the cemetery

RFK Jr. stayed with Cheryl Hines because 'another divorce' would cost him Trump cabinet post, biographer claims

Two years later, before the divorce was finalized, Mary committed suicide.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

Despite having been in the process of divorce at the time of her death and moving on with Hines, friends of Kennedy said that her death weighed heavily on him. “I know Bobby well enough to know that Mary’s suicide is a weight he will carry for the rest of his life. That’s going to haunt him," a former close friend said, per Vincent's book.

'RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise' by Isabel Vincent.

*RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise** *is available for purchase wherever books are sold.

*If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the **National Suicide Prevention Lifeline** at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).*

- Period Dramas

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW The”