Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he is "not scared of germs" as he used to "snort cocaine off toilet seats," during a conversation on Theo Von's podcast.
Appearing on This Past Weekend, Kennedy and Von spoke about their shared history of substance abuse and recovery. Kennedy, who has previously been open about his heroin addiction, recalled attending recovery meetings throughout the Covid-19 pandemic despite restrictions.
"They shut [the rehabilitation meetings] down during Covid," Kennedy said, describing how a small group continued to meet in person. "I said, 'I don't care what happens. I'm going to a meeting every day.'" Explaining his reasoning, he added: "I'm not scared of a germ. You know, I used to snort cocaine off a toilet seat, and I know this disease will kill me if I don't treat it."
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Kennedy has spoken publicly about struggling with addiction since his teenage years, previously recounting that he first experimented with LSD at 15 before later developing a heroin dependency.
The remarks come weeks after Kennedy announced $100 million in grants for a pilot program aimed at tackling homelessness and supporting substance use recovery in eight US cities. The funding follows an executive order signed by Donald Trump titled "The Great American Recovery Initiative."
Clips from the podcast circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from several Democratic figures. Some questioned Kennedy's suitability to oversee federal health agencies. Elsewhere in the episode, Von referenced seeing Kennedy with musician Kid Rock in Nashville and joked about past drug use. Kennedy responded that he was "saving a seat" for him at recovery meetings.