RFK Jr. shares rattlesnake rescue video after snake-handling backlash
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared another snake-handling video Wednesday after social media users expressed concern about his previous encounter with a pair of black racer snakes.
Kennedy Jr. posted an Instagram video titled “In response to many comments about venomous snakes, this video shows how Cheryl and I did a recent rattlesnake rescue.”
The clip begins with Kennedy Jr. sitting in his home office before someone warns him about a snake in the driveway.
“Hold on guys. I’ll be back in a minute,” he says before grabbing a bucket and a small net and heading out.
RFK JR, DR. ÖZ’S PATIO IN WILD VIDEO
RFK Jr. wrestles with a Western Diamondback rattlesnake during a rescue video shared on Instagram on Wednesday. (Instagram/RFKJr.)
The HHS secretary then carefully picks up the rattlesnake as onlookers react with surprise.
After placing the snake in a bucket, Kennedy Jr. pins it to the back of its head and lifts it toward the camera as he explains how to identify the reptile.
“His teeth are there. I don’t want to touch them,” he said. “This is a beautiful snake. It’s a Western Diamondback. You can tell by the rings at the end of its tail.”
Kennedy Jr. He then asked his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, to bring him a pillowcase before carrying the snake into the wild and releasing it.
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Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. He proudly displays a pair of black North American racer snakes he caught on Oz’s porch. (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.)
The Instagram post appeared to be in direct response to criticism and concerns sparked by another snake video that Kennedy Jr. shared on X on Tuesday.
In this clip, Kennedy Jr., Dr. Hines watched in obvious horror as Mehmet Oz caught two black North American racer snakes with his bare hands while visiting Oz’s porch.
“Honey, honey…why?” Kennedy Jr. Hines shouted as he cornered the snakes.
Kennedy Jr. He then lunged at the reptiles, eventually lifting them both by their tails as the reptiles repeatedly bit his hands.
CHERYL HINES Shared Harrowing Evacuation From WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER AS GUNSHOTS ROUND
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cheryl Hines attended the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC on April 25, 2026. (Taylor Hill/WireImage)
Kennedy Jr. “Black snakes are biting me,” he said with a smile.
The snakes continued to attack his hands as Hines pleaded, “Bobby, please! Bobby, Bobby, please,” and later told him, “You’re crazy.”
Kennedy Jr. she later shared the video to X with the caption: “Cheryl cheerleading a pair of Black Racers off Dr Oz’s porch.”
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, black racer snakes are nonvenomous and generally harmless to humans, but they “easily bite to defend themselves.”
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While the previous video showed Kennedy Jr. handling non-venomous snakes, Wednesday’s Instagram clip focused on the venomous Western Diamondback rattlesnake, leading some social media users to question whether the HHS secretary was taking unnecessary risks.
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.
