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Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. grabbed a pair of black North American racer snakes with his barehands as his wife Cheryl Hines watched on in apparent horror in a video Kennedy Jr. posted to his X account Tuesday.
“Honey, honey… why?” Hines yelled as Kennedy Jr. cornered the reptiles on Oz’s patio.
Kennedy Jr. then crouched down and lunged at the frenzying creatures, struggling for a moment before grasping the pair by their tails.
Throughout the roughly 50 second video the serpents repeatedly bit Kennedy Jr., who appeared unfazed. “Black snakes, they’re biting me,” he said while revealing a wry smile.
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The snakes continued to nip at Kennedy Jr.’s hands while wife Cheryl chimed in “you are nuts.”
“Bobby, please! Bobby, Bobby, please,” Hines pleaded as Kennedy proudly displayed his trophies.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proudly displays a pair of black North American racer snakes he caught on Dr. Oz’s patio. (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.)
Kennedy Jr. was clearly amused, posting the photo to his X account with the caption “Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr Oz’s patio.”
While While Hines expressed dismay, it was likely not her first time watching her husband wrangle wild creatures, as the HHS Secretary has a long and documented history of herding feral beasts.
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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives with his wife Cheryl Hines for the inauguration of Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa in Quito on May 24, 2025. (Karen Toro/Reuters)
In addition to being an avid falconer, Kennedy Jr. has manhandled a wide assortment of creatures. News wires lit up in 2024 after the former environmental lawyer admitted to dumping a bear carcass in Central Park.
In another wild tale, Kennedy Jr. allegedly cut the head off of a dead whale, strapped it to the hood of his car and drove it from a Massachusetts beach to Mount Kisco, New York.
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A North American Racer Snake, commonly known as a Black Racer, slithers near the second tee during the final round of the LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood National Golf Club Commander on April 23, 2023 in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
While the black snake duo repeatedly bit Kennedy Jr. during his short video, they don’t pose nearly as much of a risk to the 72-year-old as a bear might.
The creatures are, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History, nonvenomous and harmless to humans. They will, however, “readily bite to defend themselves,” the museum wrote. The museum also added (as Kennedy Jr. found out) “virtually all bites occur when the snakes are intentionally molested.”
