Chris Pratt Defends Cousin-in-Law RFK Jr. amid Scrutiny Over MAHA Agenda

Chris Pratt is revealing his positive interactions with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

The Marvel star appeared on the Monday, Aug. 18, episode of Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, and chatted about his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, and her famous family, including her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Schwarzenegger, 35, is the daughter of Maria Shriver and granddaughter of Eunice (née Kennedy) Shriver. Eunice was the older sister of Robert F. Kennedy Sr. Therefore, Maria, 69, and Bobby, 71, are first cousins, making Schwarzenegger and Bobby first cousins once removed.

During Pratt’s podcast appearance, he revealed he has “spent a number of occasions hanging with [Bobby].” Noting, “In a strictly family dinner kind of vibe. And I really got along with him well.”

“I think he’s great,” the 46-year-old added. “I think he’s funny. I like him. I love him.”

Pratt continued and remarked how the political world is a “nasty business.” 

“I’m not in politics, obviously, but there’s a certain level to this in Hollywood, because Hollywood itself is a political institution. I’ve seen [in Hollywood] how the person you are can be such a contrast to the person that people are being told that you are, and you can go, ‘Wow, that is pure fiction.’ ”

“So my little bit of experience, I’ve been able to see how the person that you are can be sometimes in stark contrast to the person that your enemy is saying that you are,” he added. “And in politics, you inherit enemies.”

As Pratt continued, he remarked on Kennedy’s role as Health and Human Services Secretary in President Donald Trump’s administration. “When you jump on the bandwagon with who is the most divisive president ever, it makes sense that you’re going to be made to look terrible.”

The Parks & Recreation alum explained that when he does see Kennedy, he’s not asking him about his opinions on various topics. Noting that when they are together, they’re usually “just playing cards or Mafia or having fun or having dinner.”

“I’m not gonna pick his brain to find out exactly which of those things are true,” Pratt said. “I just kind of assume that none of them are, and for the most part, I wish him well.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy star added, “There’s certain things [that Bobby] oversees that seem to be supported in a bipartisan way — like getting terrible toxic stuff out of our kids’ food.”

“I think that’s a great thing. If you just do that, that’s amazing,” he said. “I’d hate to be so mired in hatred for the president that any success from his administration is something I’d be having an allergic reaction to. To be like, ‘Oh, well, if they do it, I don’t want it to happen. I’ll put Clorox in my children’s cereal myself!’ Be reasonable here. There’s certain things that would be a good thing to have. I want them all to be successful.”

Since becoming Health and Human Services Secretary, Kennedy has continued to work on his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, with one of his top priorities being to reduce ultra-processed foods and environmental toxins from foods, which Kennedy claimed increase chronic disease diagnoses during childhood.

Along with the efforts mentioned above, he has been a vocal anti-vaccine advocate, as well as promoting the scientifically debunked claim that vaccines cause autism and saying that the measles vaccine contains “fetus debris.” He has also said seed oils are “poison” and criticized the “overprescription” of medications, including antidepressants, per MSNBC.

Although Pratt did not endorse Kennedy’s MAHA, it is Bobby’s family members, including his siblings, Rory, Kerry, Joseph II, and Kathleen, and cousins, who have offered public critiques of him. 

In January, before Bobby was confirmed for the cabinet position, Caroline Kennedy denounced him for promoting conspiracy theories and siding with Trump. Caroline, who is the daughter of late President John F. Kennedy, submitted a letter to the Senate saying, “Bobby himself is a predator.” Adding that he is “addicted to attention and power” and ultimately “unqualified” to shape the nation’s health policy.

In addition to Caroline’s comments, Pratt’s mother-in-law, Maria, shared her support for Caroline’s critiques of Bobby. On Tuesday, Jan. 28, Shriver shared a photo to X of Caroline, next to JFK’s book Profiles in Courage, for which Bobby’s father wrote the original foreword, and Caroline later added an introduction.

“Courage is when you do something hard, heartbreaking, and painful… and you do it anyway,” Shriver wrote. “Love you, Caroline. Always have, always will.”

Maria’s brothers, Anthony K. Shriver and Timothy P. Shriver, also responded to Bobby’s derogatory remarks about autism in April. The brothers said they penned the letter in hopes of “celebrating the gifts of people with autism.” (Their mother, Eunice, founded the Special Olympics in 1968, as a nod to her sister Rosemary Kennedy, who was born with intellectual challenges.)

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Representatives for both Pratt and RFK Jr. did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.