RFK Jr. admits on podcast that he snorted cocaine off a toilet seat
“He was snorting cocaine off the toilet seat,” Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Theo Fung, host of the podcast “This Past Weekend.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s shocking admission that he “snorted cocaine off a toilet seat” during his past struggles with drug addiction has prompted detractors, including prominent health care advocacy groups, to call for his resignation.
Protect Our Care, a nonprofit organization that advocates for better and more affordable health care, issued a statement following Kennedy Jr.’s confession on comedian Theo Fung’s podcast, “This Past Weekend,” which aired on February 12.
“With his statement today, “I’m not afraid of germs. I snorted cocaine off a toilet seat,” Trump Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to demonstrate why he is the most dangerous and unfit person ever to lead a vital federal agency,” the statement read.
Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse responded to Kennedy Jr.’s comments by telling him to resign.
The health secretary has been slammed by critics over a myriad of issues, from vaccines to fluoride to dietary guidelines. USA TODAY has reached out to HHS for comment.
RFK Jr. talks about sobriety on Theo Fung’s podcast
Although Kennedy’s brief comments about the extent of his past drug use went viral, his interview with Fung began with the two discussing their sobriety.
Kennedy, who admitted to having been sober for more than 40 years, said he and the comedian met at a morning recovery meeting before the coronavirus outbreak and later formed a “pirate” group that continued to meet during the pandemic.
“I said, ‘I don’t care what happens, I’m going to go to meetings every day,'” Kennedy said, explaining his mindset during the pandemic.
Kennedy also recalled thinking, “I know I’m going to die from this disease. If I don’t treat it, that means going to meetings every day for me, and it’s the worst thing for my life.”
Mr. Fung and Mr. Kennedy also had a broader discussion about supporting drug and alcohol addicts, including HHS taking a closer look at “medical costs for addicts.”
Kennedy said HHS could examine “collateral damage” to the health care system caused by addiction, such as medical costs, unemployment and inefficiencies. He said HHS is trying to observe addicts and follow them as their addiction continues.
The HHS secretary said the department is currently implementing a pilot program that consists of early intervention, confronting addicts on the street, getting them out of crisis and into treatment, helping them find work after they get sober, and stabilizing them.
“HHS is delivering on our promise to the American people for a healthier, brighter future,” Kennedy Jr. said in a statement about the $100 million pilot. “Through this pilot program, we are launching a comprehensive, integrated care model that not only treats HCV, but also tackles significant risk factors head-on, including substance use, mental health issues, and homelessness.”
When did RFK Jr. first use drugs?
By Kennedy’s own account, his first drug experience occurred in the summer after his father, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968. He said he took the hallucinogen LSD at a party and was introduced to opioids by a neighbor while returning home later that day.
“They said, ‘Try this,’ and it was a stimulant,” he said in a speech at the Rx and Illegal Drugs Summit in Nashville in April 2025. “I took it and all my problems went away. My addiction started in earnest. By the end of the summer I was hitting heroin. That was my drug of choice for the next 14 years.”
In his speech, President Kennedy also discussed how his policy views were influenced by the 14-year heroin addiction he overcame.
“I know the only way to stay sober is to take responsibility for my daily actions,” Kennedy said at the time. “I try to accept the things I can’t control and practice gratitude for them. I can control my actions and daily actions, but I can’t control the world around me.”
Listen to RFK Jr. on Theo Von’s podcast “This Past Weekend”
Contributor: Fernando Cervantes Jr./USA TODAY
