The Secretary of Health and Human Services has had a lifelong fascination for animals ranging from exotic creatures to roadkill.

RFK Jr. once threw a snake into a pool full of kids, sister claims

The Secretary of Health and Human Services has had a lifelong fascination for animals ranging from exotic creatures to roadkill.

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.

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June 16, 2026 6:35 p.m. ET

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Robert F Kennedy Jr. in New York in July 2023; Kerry Kennedy in Philadelphia in April 2024. Credit:

Michael M. Santiago/Getty; Drew Hallowell/Getty

- Kerry Kennedy revealed that her brother RFK Jr. once threw a snake he found in her yard into a pool full of kids.

- Weeks earlier, the Secretary of Health and Human Services wrangled two snakes on Dr. Oz's patio.

- Throughout his childhood and into his adult life, RFK Jr. has had a fascination with animals, be it exotic creatures or roadkill.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a splash with this snake incident, according to his sibiling.

RFK Jr.'s sister Kerry Kennedy shared an anecdote about the Secretary of Health and Human Services, who has an admiration for animals ranging from exotic pets to roadkill, while appearing on CNN's *Erin Burnett OutFront *on Monday.

"I'm so grateful to Bobby as my older brother when I was a kid," Kerry began. "His fascination of nature he shared with all of us and he took me to catch snakes and learn about frogs and salamanders and go on nature hunting trips and he gave me a crow when I was a kid."

However, "there was always another side," she continued. The incident occurred about 25 years ago when Kerry, who has been critical of her brother's political beliefs, was hosting a birthday party for her daughter.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the White House in Washington, D.C., in September 2025.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

"I was looking in the garden, and I found a snake. So I called Bobby. He just lived a mile down the road and I said, 'There's a snake in the garden,'" Kerry began. RFK Jr. then "rushed over" carrying his infant son Aidan and a pillowcase.

"He grabbed the snake and stuffed it into the pillowcase while he was holding his infant son. So that was a little scary. So then he walked up to where the rest of the birthday party was, and he reached into the bag. And this snake was just chomping on his hand, and he pulled out the snake to show the kids," she continued.

Kerry said RFK Jr. then spotted a rodent, which looked like a mole and a mouse. He grabbed the creature and put it into the pillowcase with the snake. All the kids screamed, Kerry said, "because now they were afraid the snake would eat" the rodent.

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"So then he shoved his hand back into the pillowcase and grabbed the snake which chomped on him a few more times,"Kerry recalled. She and RFK Jr. then went to his house, where "tons of kids" were swimming in the pool. "And he released this snake that had chomped on his hand into the swimming pool," she claimed.

"Now, so this is somebody who on the one hand has a fascination with nature. But on the other hand, has, you know, a lack of judgment when it comes to the safety and care of children," concluded Kerry. "So is this the person you want running HHS?"

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** contacted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and did not receive an immediate response.

This story comes weeks after RFK Jr. wrangled a pair of snakes on Dr. Oz's sunny patio in a viral video. RFK Jr's love for animals dates back to his childhood.

Kerry Kennedy in New York in March 2022.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Growing up on Hickory Hill, RFK Jr. and his siblings were surrounded by all different creatures.

"There were plenty of horses, many dogs, chickens, geese, goats. It was a menagerie... my brother Bobby collected reptiles. And actually the turtle was in the laundry room. The sea lion was in the swimming pool," RFK Jr. and Kerry's sister, Kathleen Kennedy, said about their Virginia home, PBS reported.

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