Cheryl Hines recently disclosed that her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., suggested a feigned separation to help her navigate the backlash from her Hollywood peers due to his controversial views on Covid-19 and vaccines. This revelation follows closely on the heels of a prior admission where she discussed a similar proposal from her husband in response to embarrassing reports about his sexting scandal with journalist Olivia Nuzzi.

During a candid conversation with Dr. Phil McGraw, the 60-year-old Emmy-winning actress offered insight into Kennedy’s unconventional solution, which he saw as a way to protect her from the political fallout linked to his contentious public opinions.

“I didn’t consider it,” Hines stated, reflecting on the challenging period. Despite the intense scrutiny and criticism from friends and colleagues, she emphasized that the idea of a fake separation was never something she seriously entertained.

‘I didn’t consider it,’ she said.

Hines admitted ‘things got really intense’ during that period of her life, but that the backlash she faced from her peers and friends never once led her to consider his offer seriously.

‘Bobby was speaking out about vaccine safety, and he wanted to see the studies for the Covid vaccine,’ she said. ‘He had feelings about it being mandatory, he had feelings about the shutdown, and they weren’t always popular, especially in this town.

‘The general feeling was he should not be talking about this, and you should tell him not to talk about this, and why are you with him?’

Hines noted that outside of Hollywood and the broader Los Angeles community, RFK Jr.’s arguments were resonating with voters, but that still didn’t shield her from the backlash among A-listers and the elite. 

Cheryl Hines has opened up about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposing they pretend to separate when she was copping flak from her Hollywood friends over his Covid and vaccine stance

The Emmy-award-winning actress, 60, previously revealed that Kennedy, 71, wanted to shield her from any fallout relating to their marriage while he was campaigning for the presidential race in 2024

‘Suddenly people are asking me why I’m still married to him and some people were saying “I can’t be around you because you’re married to him,”‘ she revealed.

‘That was hard at first and Bobby was seeing me go through that and he said maybe it would just be better if we just told people we weren’t together.

‘I said “I don’t know if that is the solution.” That was never the solution.’

Even though she never seriously considered his proposal, the Curb Your Enthusiasm star said she ‘thought it was sweet.’

‘It was sensitive that he understood what he was seeing happen in my life. 

‘I have always put my family first and people have asked me how I could be with him because of his politics.

‘I didn’t marry him because of his politics, why would I leave him because of his politics? That’s not the relationship we have.’

Hines had earlier revealed that RFK Jr. made an identical proposal when he was officially campaigning for president in 2024, before endorsing Trump.

Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Donald Trump, going on to land the role as Health Secretary 

Speaking to Dr. Phil McGraw, the Emmy award-winning actress shared details about her husband’s ploy, which she claimed was his solution to shield her from political attacks over his unpopular opinions

Hines said: ‘I didn’t marry him because of his politics, why would I leave him because of his politics? That’s not the relationship we have’

At the time, he was also embroiled in a scandal with 32-year-old New York Magazine reporter Nuzzi, after it emerged that the pair became ’emotionally involved’ while she was writing a feature on his campaign.

‘For a couple to say, ”Maybe we should just say we’re not with each other anymore and our lives would be easier”… That’s pretty dramatic and pretty extreme,’ she said. 

‘Things got dramatic during this presidential campaign. Some people were very upset that I was even married to Bobby. 

‘They were vocally coming at me because I’m married to Bobby. So Bobby felt, ”You shouldn’t be having to take that heat. So why don’t we just say we’re separated?”’

Hines said the offer came from a place of concern, and ultimately brought them closer together.

‘You’re in these unique situations that nobody else can imagine,’ she said.

Kennedy denied any inappropriate relationship at the height of the scandal – claiming he met Nuzzi only once during an interview – but sources described the connection as ’emotional and digital in nature, not physical.’ 

An internal investigation by New York Magazine found ‘no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias’ in Nuzzi’s reporting on Kennedy, but the controversy nevertheless resulted in her departure from the publication.