RFK Jr. posts 2nd snake wrangling video, but this time it's venomous
RFK Jr. posts 2nd snake wrangling video, but this time it's venomous
Drew Pittock and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAYThu, May 28, 2026 at 12:59 AM UTC
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One day after a video of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. handling snakes went viral, the Health and Human Services secretary returned to social media with another snake wrangling clip, only this time it was venomous.
On May 27, Kennedy posted a video to his personal X account in response to the “many comments about venomous snakes” he got after sharing a snake wrangling video the day prior.
Eager to show the public it’s all in a day’s work, Kennedy’s second video features a “recent rattlesnake rescue,” according to the caption, that he handled alongside his wife, Cheryl Hines.
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‘In the middle of a meeting’
The video opens with an unknown woman entering Kennedy’s office as he’s conducting a meeting, to tell the HHS secretary that a snake is in the driveway.
Kennedy then goes to the driveway with a net and a bucket.
After a bit of struggle and a close call or two, Kennedy successfully wrangles the rattler into the bucket. People off-screen can be heard saying, “Only you,” “Amazing,” and “In the middle of a meeting.”
Kennedy then pins the snake’s head and grabs it by the mouth, avoiding any potential venomous bites.
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At that point, he enlists the help of Hines and a pillowcase.
“No, no, no, no, no, honey,” a less-than-enthused Hines says as she hands Kennedy the pillowcase. “I’ll watch it from here.”
Kennedy identifies the snake, which he described as “beautiful,” as a western diamondback, based on the rings around its tail.
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As Kennedy drops the snake into the pillowcase, Hines can be heard screaming before he takes the creature to a wooded area near the couple’s home and frees it.
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Kennedy’s previous snake encounter
It’s unclear when the rattlesnake video was shot. However, it comes one day after Kennedy posted a video of himself picking up two snakes at the home of Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"Honey, honey! Why? Why?" Hines can be heard asking as Kennedy, dressed in full business attire, bends over to grab at the black reptiles. As the snakes leap, jump and slither in a bid to escape, Kennedy manages to grab one in each hand, narrowly dodging their attempts to snag a mouthful of his skin.
As he proudly dangles them in the air for the camera, one manages to land a successful blow to Kennedy's hand. While Hines continues to fret off-camera, Oz and Kennedy laugh it off, even as they try to identify the snakes' species and, therefore, whether the bite is something to worry about.
"Are they biting?" asks Oz.
"Yes," laughs Kennedy, holding up his injured hand.
While Hines expressed concern that the snakes could be venomous water moccasins, Kennedy ultimately brushed off her worries as the reptiles continued to thrash and buck in his hands. They were later identified as nonvenomous southern black racers.
"Honey, please, let them go! Bobby, please!" she can be heard saying as Kennedy beckons Oz over to "take a picture" with the creatures.
"Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr Oz's patio," Kennedy wrote in the caption of his post, identifying the species of the snakes.
Drew Pittock covers national trending news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at DPittock@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr. shares rattlesnake wrangling video after viral Dr. Oz moment
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
