Kathleen Kennedy Once Gave Disturbing Insight To Her Childhood With RFK Jr. Whale Story

Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nephew of president John F. Kennedy, is an environmental attorney, activist, and author. He's also a controversial figure in American politics, due to his views on COVID-19, criticism of vaccines, and promotion of health theories that have been widely debunked by the medical community. While he's currently known for his outlandish opinions, Kennedy's bizarre behavior actually goes back to the 1990s.

In a 2012 Town & Country interview, Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, Robert's oldest daughter, shared a fascinating yet bizarre story about her childhood. Kathleen recalled an incident where her father sought out a decomposed whale on a beach in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Robert, who apparently enjoyed studying animal remains, rushed to the beach, cut the whale's head off with a chainsaw, and strapped it to the roof of the family minivan for the drive home.

"Every time we accelerated on the highway, whale juice would pour into the windows of the car, and it was the rankest thing on the planet," Kathleen said. "We all had plastic bags over our heads with mouth holes cut out, and people on the highway were giving us the finger, but that was just normal day-to-day stuff for us." 

The story came to light again in the fall of 2024, with the AP reporting that Robert was being investigated for the incident. Robert dismissed the story, saying, "I'm not interested in feeding that feature of the mainstream media." He escaped charges when the investigation was closed in October 2024.

Robert F. Kennedy's history of eccentric behavior includes a bizarre incident that occurred in 2014, when he dropped off a dead bear in Central Park, New York. In a video shared on his account on X, formerly known as Twitter, Robert tells actor Roseanne Barr that he found the bear, presumably killed by a car, and wanted to preserve its hide but realized it might spoil. So, he staged the carcass in the park to make it appear as if it had been hit by a cyclist. Officials and visitors alike were unaware of his role in the event until he spoke about it years later. He claimed the incident was a prank.

Kathleen Kennedy is no stranger to her father's odd behavior. But despite Robert's complicated family dynamics, and the often controversial legacy of the Kennedys, she seems determined to stay out of it. "When I see my face or name in the tabloids, I get a knot in my stomach," she told Town & Country. "It's just not me — it's reading something that's not real."

Another strange instance, detailed by NewsNation in July of 2024, came to light when photos of Robert holding a charred goat carcass began circulating online. Rumors swirled, with some believing the remains were those of a dog, but Robert clarified it was indeed a goat. "I'm a very adventurous eater. I'll eat anything, but I wouldn't eat a dog," he said on "CUOMO." "It is a goat, and you are what you eat."