Chris Pratt revealed he doesn’t let politics affect his view of his cousin-in-law, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“I’ve spent a number of occasions hanging with him just in a strictly family dinner kind of vibe,” Pratt shared on the Monday, August 18, episode of Bill Maher‘s Club Random podcast. “And I really got along with him well. I think he’s great. I think he’s funny. I like him. I love him.”
Pratt is married to Katherine Schwarzenegger, whose mother, Maria Shriver, is a first cousin of RFK Jr. The politician has made headlines since being appointed as the secretary of Health and Human Services by Donald Trump earlier this year. However, Pratt said he isn’t taking a strong stance on his relative’s career decisions.
“Politics, it’s a nasty business. I’m not in politics, obviously, but there’s a certain level to this in Hollywood, because Hollywood itself is a political institution,” Pratt stated. “I’ve seen how the person you are can be such a contrast to the person that people are being told that you are, and you can go, ‘Wow, that is pure fiction.’… So, my little bit of experience, I’ve been able to see how the person that you are can be sometimes in stark contrast to the person that your enemy is saying that you are.”
He continued, “In politics, you inherit enemies. And when you jump on the bandwagon with who is the most divisive president ever, it makes sense that you’re going to be made to look terrible. And so, I don’t know what to believe, ’cause it’s not like I sit with Bobby and I go, ‘So, hey, let’s talk about this.’ It’s like, we’re just playing cards or playing Mafia or having fun or having dinner. I’m not gonna pick his brain to find out exactly which of those things are true. I just kind of assume that none of them are. And, for the most part, I wish him well.”
While Pratt didn’t formally endorse RFK Jr., he did praise some of his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiatives. “There’s certain things that he oversees that seem to be supported in a bipartisan way, like getting terrible toxic stuff out of our kids’ food,” the actor said. “I think that’s a great thing. If you just do that, that’s amazing. I’d hate to be so mired in hatred for the president that any success from his administration is something I’d be having an allergic reaction to.”
Unlike Pratt, some of RFK Jr.’s family members have publicly criticized him, particularly over his strong anti-vaccine stance. “Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father [Robert F. Kennedy] and our family hold most dear,” read an August 2024 statement issued by five of RFK Jr.’s siblings, including Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy. “It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
RFK Jr.’s cousin Caroline Kennedy called him a “predator” in a January 28 social media video. “Bobby is addicted to attention and power,” she stated. “Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own kids while building a following [by] hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs.”