12 Celebs & Other Notable People You May Not Know Are Part Of The Kennedy Family

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The Kennedy family is seen as the unofficial American royal family. They have a reputation for being extremely ambitious, even producing the youngest president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. While some reasons behind their fame, including this, are good. Others — like the scandals they wish we'd forget and the tragedy surrounding the Kennedys – not so much.

In discussing FK's poor treatment of women on "The Megyn Kelly Show," the author of "Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed," Maureen Callahan, recounted the infamous birthday party incident involving Marilyn Monroe. She also alleged that both brothers, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Robert Francis Kennedy, were probably involved with Monroe. 

That said, the Kennedys did't just hobnob with Monroe. Some of the growing family members have themselves made their way into Hollywood and other spaces. This might even be surprising, as the Kennedy name is usually associated with politics. Without further ado, these are celebrities and other notable people who are interestingly part of the Kennedy family.

Maria Shriver doesn't have the Kennedy last name. Nevertheless, she is Eunice Kennedy Shriver's daughter. "I was always a Kennedy without a first name and without really my own identity," she revealed on "Oprah's Super Soul." In her memoir "I am Maria," she detailed how the presidential inauguration of her uncle, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, brought a "whirlwind of change into my [her] young life" (via E! News). "In what seems like a minute, my family is packing up and moving from Chicago to Washington, DC," she explained.

This sudden change would be challenging enough any young woman; however, as Maria detailed in her memoir, she also had "expectations to fulfill"  as a member of the Kennedy family. This surely put a lot of responsibility on her shoulders from a young age. People often gave more importance to her surname than to who she was as a person. As she recalled on Simon Sinek's "A Bit of Optimism," "I grew up being asked all the time, 'Which Kennedy are you?'"

Despite the challenges she faced, Shriver did end up making a name for herself. She worked as a journalist at CBS and NBC News. Due to her stellar journalism, she won multiple Emmy awards and a Peabody. Additionally, when she served as California's First Lady, she championed causes like women's empowerment and Alzheimer's research.

Arnold Schwarzenegger probably comes to mind if you think about action movies. The actor is also a professional bodybuilder and, of course, the former governor of California. It doesn't just stop there, though. He married into the Kennedy family in 1986 by way of Maria Shriver, thus becoming the nephew-in-law of John F. Kennedy.

Being a republican didn't get in the way of him getting along with his democratic in-laws. He has credited his mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy, for inspiring his interest in public service. Ted Kennedy, whom he called "Uncle Teddy," guided him when he was about to run for governor. Recalling Ted Kennedy's advice during an interview, Schwarzenegger shared (via NBC News), "[Ted] said 'Just don't ever go into details, because you can never give the press enough details.'"

On the surface, Schwarzenegger and Shriver seemed like a fantastic pair: Hollywood star and political royalty. However, Maria Shriver's marriage to Arnold Schwarzenegger caused more problems for her than we knew. Schwarzenegger had an affair with a household staff member and even had a child with her. He confessed in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, writing, "After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago. ... There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused." Schwarzenegger and Shriver divorced in 2021, some 10 years after Shriver initially filed.

Katherine Schwarzenegger, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver's eldest daughter, is John F. Kennedy's great-niece. "I feel so incredibly blessed to be part of such a loving, supportive and strong family that shows up in good times and in tough times," Katherine expressed in a 2019 Instagram post.

In addition to being related to the Kennedys, Katherine is a New York Times best-selling author and an advocate for animal rights. Perhaps it's not too surprising that she chose a different path than her mom and dad, as Katherine told Hello! magazine, "Both of my parents definitely taught us when we were younger that it didn't matter what we did in life as long as we worked hard and found our passion." 

Katherine even takes fashion inspiration from her ancestors, including Jackie Kennedy. "Of course you look at pictures of [Jackie Kennedy], pictures of different people in our family or in our world, and you want to try to emulate some of that," she admitted.

Peter Lawford was married to John F. Kennedy's sister, Patricia "Pat" Kennedy. His widow, Patricia Lawford Stewart, gave The Desert Sun a few details about Peter's relationship with his first wife, saying, "He asked her father's permission [to marry]. The old man said to him, 'I don't like the English and I especially don't like Englishmen that wear red socks.' He said, 'I'm sorry, Mr. Kennedy,' and the only thing he gave up was the red socks."

Peter and Pat got married and had four kids together. At that point, he was already a famous actor. He was also connected to Frank Sinatra's inner circle, The Rat Pack. Marrying into the Kennedy family only made things better for him — but not for long. His marriage is among the most troubled Kennedy family marriages, as he is said to have sabotaged his relationship by drinking and having affairs. Stewart told The New York Post, "Peter would bring women home all the time when he was married to Patricia."

Once JFK distanced himself from Sinatra, Peter Lawford's close relationships with Sinatra soured. Author James Spada explained to The Desert Sun, "His sense of self was derived from being around famous, important people. So that left him vulnerable to being used by these famous people like Sinatra, like JFK, like the movie stars he was involved with."

Christopher Lawford was John F. Kennedy's sister's son, making him JFK's nephew. He had fond memories of his uncle and recalled one of his early memories of him to CBS News. Apparently, his uncle and mother went into his room late one night and JFK asked him, "'Christopher, I've been nominated to be president of the United States of America. It's going to be a very hard job. Will you help me?'" Christopher revealed his amusing response: "And I said, 'Sure, Uncle Jack. But can we do it tomorrow because I'm kind of tired right now."

Christopher followed in his father's footsteps and pursued acting. He acted in "Terminator 3" — alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger — and even made an appearance on "The O.C." Later on in his life, he was better known for being an advocate and an author. His memoir, "Symptoms of Withdrawal," became a New York Times best-seller. The memoir sheds light on his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction following the assassinations of JFK and Robert F. Kennedy.

In a 2018 interview with APB Speakers, he shared, "I've been in recovery for 26 years. I say alcoholism [and] addiction doesn't run in my family. It gallops in my family."

Robert Sargent "Bobby" Shriver III is Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver's eldest son. However, he was tired of only being seen as JFK's nephew. After listing off some of his accomplishments, including his philanthropy, he mused to the Los Angeles Times, "So that's not 'John F. Kennedy's nephew,' right?"

Bobby is a journalist, attorney, and producer — and he even joined politics himself, becoming the mayor of Santa Monica in 2010. When the interviewer at Miller Center pointed out the recency of his political career, he explained, "My parents didn't run for any offices. They started pro-social ventures. That's what I grew up watching people do, and feel I know how to do." He then compared his family to Robert Kennedy and Senator Edward Kennedy's families. He shared, "We grew up differently ... from our cousins, who were constantly seeing elective political leaders and consultants, speechmakers and people like that in the house. We never saw any of those folks. It's very different. Shrivers ... had a totally different experience as children, and as young adults, from what our Kennedy cousins did."

Cheryl Hines married John F. Kennedy's nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2014. But even if you didn't realize her relation to the Kennedys, one detail about RFK Jr.'s wife that you likely knew is that she's an actor, best known as Cheryl David on "Curb Your Enthusiasm." She is also an improv performer and has appeared in movies like "RV," "The Ugly Truth," and "Suburgatory."

While the Kennedy family is predominantly Democratic, RFK Jr. left the party in 2023 and ran for president as an independent. He later joined forces with Republican President Donald Trump, accepting his nomination as secretary of Health and Human Services. RFK Jr.'s views and decisions within his role in Trump's administration have earned him backlash from other family members.

Ahead of the 2024 election, four of RFK Jr.'s siblings signed a statement that read, "Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment." His cousin, Caroline Kennedy, also provided a statement to the U.S. Senate regarding RFK Jr.'s nomination for Health and Human Services secretary, which echoed similar sentiments. She went a step further and even called him a "predator" (via People).

How does Hines feel about all this? She admitted in an interview on "Elizabeth Vargas Reports" that she sometimes feels angry with the Kennedy family for not being supportive of her husband. "I know that some of [the Kennedys] were part of the Biden administration or, you know, working somehow in that administration. I understood that," she said (via People). "But I was really, really disappointed to see a few of them really speak so disrespectfully about Bobby. ... I've really loved them through the years, and still love them, but I can't help but to think of some of them differently, because I didn't respect what they did."

Victoria Reggie Kennedy, a diplomat, attorney, and activist, joined the Kennedy family by marrying Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy. His second wife, Victoria was nominated by President Joe Biden as U.S. Ambassador to Austria and helped found the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate.

In an interview with NPR's Scott Simon, Victoria spilled the tea on her meet-cute with Ted. She revealed that even though they had previously met, he actually saw her as a potential romantic interest during her parents' 40th wedding anniversary. She recalled how she invited him over to have dinner and even prepared a place for his date. She added, "And when I opened the door, he was standing there and I sort of looked around and then said, What's wrong, Kennedy, couldn't you get a date?" She went on to share, "And he said sort of in this little flirtatious way, Well, I thought you'd be my date. And I said, Dream on."

Unfortunately, Victoria and Ted's time together was cut short, as he died in 2009 from brain cancer. Former President Barack Obama eulogized Ted and praised Victoria. " She gave him strength and purpose; joy and friendship; and stood by him always, especially in those last, hardest days," he said (via NPR). 

Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg is Caroline Kennedy and artist Edwin Schlossberg's daughter. After graduating from Yale and Oxford, she pursued a career as an environmental journalist, working with The New York Times and other renowned publications.

In 2025, Tatiana revealed in an essay for The New Yorker that she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia immediately after giving birth to her second child, her daughter. In her essay, Tatiana also made her thoughts about her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., very clear: "Throughout my treatment, he had been on the national stage: previously a Democrat, he was running for President as an Independent, but mostly as an embarrassment to me and the rest of my immediate family."

She died not long after revealing her terminal cancer diagnosis. JFK Library Foundation posted a picture of Tatiana on Instagram with the caption, "Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts." A family friend of the Kennedys told People, "Caroline is going to have to do for Tatiana's children what Jackie had to do for her children: Keep the memory alive of their parent that they might not remember."

John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg, better known as Jack Schlossberg, is John F. Kennedy's only grandson. In addition to graduating from Yale and earning a J.D./M.B.A. from Harvard, he made his acting debut on CBS' "Blue Bloods" in 2018.

When Jack appeared on the "Today" show with mo Caroline Kennedy, he said his family's public service legacy is inspiring to him. However, he explained that he is "still trying to make my [his] own way and figure things out" (via People). He added, "So stay tuned — I don't know what I'm going to do."

Like most of the Kennedys, Jack, who in November 2025 announced his run for Congress' 2026 election, isn't pleased with his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being a part of President Donald Trump's administration. During his interview on MS Now, he called RFK Jr. a "rabid dog." He went on to say, "RFK Jr. is a dangerous person."

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is an author, attorney, and politician, serving as Maryland's first female lieutenant governor.

Being Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy's eldest child, Townsend was given the responsibility of peacekeeping within the family. John F. Kennedy was assassinated when Townsend was just 12 years old and, two days later, her father wrote her a letter that read, "Dear Kathleen, as the oldest of the Kennedy grandchildren you have a special responsibility: Be kind to others and work for your country" (via USA Today). This is something she seems to take seriously.

While on "CBS Sunday Morning," Townsend was asked about the quality of RFK that she thinks touched people deeply. To this, she responded, "Moral and physical courage." She explained further, saying, "He was willing to do tough things and willing to say tough things and yet had enormous empathy for those who suffered."

Kathleen Alexandra "Kick" Kennedy is Robert F. Kennedy's granddaughter. She takes her name after her great-aunt, John F. Kennedy's sister. That said, she told the New York Post (via E! News), "[No one] calls me Kathleen except the TSA and the Department of Motor Vehicles."

Kick's famous family comes from a political background, but Kick stayed away from a career in politics. Instead, she became interested in acting and philanthropy. She told Town & Country that when people ask her about her experience of being a Kennedy, she "[has] no idea." She continued, saying, "When I see my face or name in the tabloids, I get a knot in my stomach. It's just not me — it's reading something that's not real."

Kick briefly appeared on shows like "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Newsroom," and "Gossip Girl." Her roles were small, but she wasn't in it for stardom. "I was born with a sticker — a name — that has made me totally uninterested in the fame factor of success," she admitted to Town & Country. Kick Kennedy has since ditched her acting career to focus on philanthropy and activism.