HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Admits Snorting Cocaine Off Toilet Seats
Kennedy told Theo Von's podcast that aired Feb. 12 he used to "snort cocaine off of toilet seats" and credited daily meetings for his sobriety.
Overview
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told comedian Theo Von on the podcast "This Past Weekend" that aired Feb. 12 that he used to "snort cocaine off of toilet seats."
The disclosure matters because Kennedy, 72, leads federal health policy and said his 14-year heroin addiction informed his views, a point he expanded upon at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in April 2025.
Kurt Andersen, a former Harvard classmate, told The Daily Beast Podcast that Kennedy gave him cocaine in the 1970s, an allegation Andersen has made previously.
Kennedy pleaded guilty to possessing heroin on an airplane in 1984 and said he has been in recovery for more than four decades, tracing his first drug use to the summer after his father's assassination in 1968.
Kennedy said in the Feb. 12 interview that daily recovery meetings remain essential — "If I don't treat it... it's just bad for my life" — a disclosure that could prompt renewed media and congressional scrutiny.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present this story neutrally: they rely on direct quotes and factual context rather than loaded commentary. The coverage foregrounds Kennedy’s own admissions, recovery history and public speeches, cites specifics (podcast, Nashville summit) and avoids sensational editorializing, letting source material and chronology carry the narrative.
Sources (3)
FAQ
RFK Jr. admitted on the Feb. 12 podcast that he used to 'snort cocaine off of toilet seats' and credited daily recovery meetings for maintaining his sobriety.
RFK Jr.'s drug use began at age 15 after his father's 1968 assassination, escalating to heroin as his drug of choice for 14 years until age 29. He was arrested for heroin possession in 1983, pleaded guilty in 1984, entered rehab, and has been sober for over 40 years, relying on daily 12-step meetings.
Kennedy states his 14-year heroin addiction informs his federal health policy views, as expanded at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in April 2025, though it has prompted scrutiny amid his leadership.
In 1983, Kennedy was charged with heroin possession in South Dakota; he pleaded guilty in 1984 to a felony, receiving two years probation and community service, after which he entered treatment and his probation ended early.
Former Harvard classmate Kurt Andersen alleged on The Daily Beast Podcast that Kennedy gave him cocaine in the 1970s, a claim Andersen has made previously.
History
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