Video Robert F. Kennedy Jr. grabs two snakes on Dr. Mehmet Oz’s patio
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. catches a pair of Black Racer snakes with his bare hands while on the patio of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.
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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. captured a pair of black North American racer snakes using only his hands, as his wife Cheryl Hines observed with evident distress in footage Kennedy Jr. shared on his X account on Tuesday.
“Honey, honey… why?” Hines exclaimed as Kennedy Jr. cornered the serpents on Oz’s patio.
Kennedy Jr. then bent down and lunged at the agitated creatures, struggling briefly before securing the pair by their tails.
Throughout the approximately 50-second video, the serpents repeatedly bit Kennedy Jr., who seemed unfazed. “Black snakes, they’re biting me,” he remarked, displaying a wry smile.
The snakes continued to nip at Kennedy Jr.’s hands while his wife Cheryl commented, “you are nuts.”
“Bobby, please! Bobby, Bobby, please,” Hines pleaded as Kennedy proudly presented his catches.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proudly showcases a pair of black North American racer snakes he apprehended on Dr. Oz’s patio. (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.)
Kennedy Jr. appeared clearly amused, uploading the image to his X account with the caption, “Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr Oz’s patio.”
Although Hines expressed concern, it was likely not her first time witnessing her husband handle wild animals, as the HHS Secretary has a lengthy and documented history of managing feral creatures.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives with his wife Cheryl Hines for the inauguration of Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa in Quito on May 24, 2025. (Karen Toro/Reuters)
In addition to being an enthusiastic falconer, Kennedy Jr. has handled a wide array of animals. News outlets were abuzz in 2024 after the former environmental lawyer confessed to leaving a bear carcass in Central Park.
In another extraordinary account, Kennedy Jr. allegedly decapitated a dead whale, attached it to the front of his vehicle, and transported it from a Massachusetts shoreline to Mount Kisco, New York.
A North American Racer Snake, commonly referred to as a Black Racer, navigates near the second tee during the concluding round of the LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood National Golf Club Commander on April 23, 2023, in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Although the pair of black snakes repeatedly bit Kennedy Jr. during his brief video, they do not present nearly the same level of danger to the 72-year-old as a bear might.
These creatures, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History, are nonvenomous and pose no threat to humans. However, they will “readily bite to defend themselves,” the museum stated. The museum further noted (as Kennedy Jr. discovered) that “virtually all bites occur when the snakes are intentionally molested.”