Cheryl Hines tells RFK Jr. that late mom Ethel Kennedy was ‘proud’ of him as she breaks public silence after Olivia Nuzzi affair
Cheryl Hines broke her silence after husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s sexting scandal with star political reporter Olivia Nuzzi — by commenting on a post memorializing his mother, Ethel Kennedy, who died Thursday at age 96.
“God gave her 34 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and the energy to give them all the attention they required,” part of the 70-year-old’s Instagram tribute read.
“He blessed her with a rich and eventful life. Even as she declined in recent months, she never lost her sense of fun, her humor, her spark, her spunk, and her joie de vivre.
“She wrung joy from every moment, but for 56 years she has spoken with yearning of the day she would reunite with her beloved husband.” the Democratic dynasty scion continued.
“This is beautiful. Your mother was very proud of you,” Hines, 59, wrote, punctuating her comment with a white heart emoji.
The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star, who married RFK Jr. in 2014, shared her own Instagram tribute, writing it had been her “great honor to have shared laughter and love with Ethel. Her charisma, wisdom and strength will live on with me in every memory of her.”
Hines wrote that she and her embattled husband — who has endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump — “spent many warm nights in Hyannis Port having dinner with her and hearing stories from her extraordinary life.
“She always made me laugh. She was never too serious except when she needed to be. She dressed to nines with bare feet. She will be missed. My love is with the family.”
She also posted a video of her sitting with the Kennedy matriarch as Melissa Etheridge sang “Me & Bobby McGee” at the family compound in Hyannis Port, Mass.
Hines’ heartfelt posts and message to her husband came in the wake of reports the couple have “barely spoken” since the Nuzzi sexting scandal broke late last month.
Kennedy initially denied that he had any sort of relationship with the then-engaged 31-year-old New York magazine reporter.
His campaign insisted he “only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.”
Sources tell Page Six that is not the whole truth.
Kennedy “love-bombed” Nuzzi in the months leading up to and after the profile, according to insiders. He even meaningfully grabbed her arm during their one meeting for the piece, which was conducted as the pair hiked near his Brentwood, Calif., estate.
After Kennedy repeatedly texted Nuzzi, she she become obsessed. The pair would have hours-long phone conversations, engage in “incredible” FaceTime sex and even said “I love you” when getting off the phone, according to sources.
Nuzzi’s ex-fiance Ryan Lizza, 50, apparently found out about the affair in August — and confronted Kennedy over the phone. Nuzzi has said she believes Lizza was the person who made it known to her New York magazine that she was engaging romantically with RFK Jr.
Nuzzi was placed on leave from the publication after “she had engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign, a violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures,” it said.
She has also obtained a no-contact order against Lizza, 50, who she accuses of exposing the tryst and threatening to reveal more of her personal information.
RFK Jr. has since been accused by three other women of having affairs at the same time as the Nuzzi scandal.
Those three women reportedly met the environmental lawyer through his anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, according to reports. He maintains that this story is untrue and that he “had no romantic relationships with any woman other than his wife since their marriage.”
Despite that claim, insiders say that he and Hines may be headed toward divorce.
They were seen together for the first time last week at a Starbucks in Malibu. Keen-eyed observers noticed that Hines was not wearing her wedding ring for the outing.
