Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has opened up about his past struggles with substance abuse.
The Health and Human Services Secretary discussed his history in an interview with Theo Von on the podcast This Past Weekend. During the conversation, they recalled initially meeting at morning recovery gatherings.
The 72-year-old politician, who has been committed to sobriety for over four decades, spoke about how he and other group members continued to meet privately when official meetings were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, dubbing their gatherings as a ‘pirate’ group.
“I said I don’t care what happens, I’m going to a meeting every day,” Kennedy Jr. stated on the podcast, emphasizing his dedication to attending recovery meetings even amidst a global pandemic.
He surprised the audience by revealing details about his previous drug use. “I said, I’m not scared of a germ.’ I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.”
“I know this disease will kill me, right? Like if I don’t treat it, which means for me going to meetings every day, it’s just bad for my life,” he explained further. “For me, it was survival.”
Kennedy Jr. also highlighted the importance of supporting others in recovery, adding, “That’s the secret sauce of the meetings, and that’s what keeps us all sober. Keeps us from self-will.”
This isn’t the first time he has spoken publicly about his past substance abuse. In a 2024 interview on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast, he mentioned how drugs had initially improved his academic performance. “I did very, very poorly in school, until I started doing narcotics,” he revealed.
“Then I went to the top of my class because my mind was so restless and turbulent and I could not sit still.”
Regarding his past heroin use, he admitted, “It worked for me. And if it still worked, I’d still be doing it.”
Kennedy Jr. has maintained his sobriety since entering recovery in 1983, marking 43 years of being drug-free.
Throughout his tenure as Health and Human Services Secretary, RFK Jr. has made a number of controversial statements. In October, he attracted attention by addressing the US’s declining birth rate in a White House speech, attributing the issue to endocrine disruptors and labeling it a national security concern.
In May, his comments on vaccines stirred the medical community. He has previously voiced several views on vaccine-related harm, all of which have been largely disproven by scientific experts, including the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism.
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