The Kennedy family legacy, a blend of profound public service and recurrent tragedy, continues to evolve dramatically, with recent events once again placing its prominent members at the center of national discourse. The latest chapter sees Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a figure increasingly at odds with his own relatives, taking on a significant role in the current administration, while another family member faces a personal health crisis and a new generation steps into the political arena.
RFK Jr., known for spreading anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, shocked many by suspending his 2024 presidential campaign and endorsing Donald Trump. Following Trump’s victory, Kennedy Jr. was controversially confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services in February 2025, despite lacking experience in medicine, public health, or government. This appointment drew sharp criticism, even from within his immediate family.
His cousin, Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, openly voiced her family’s dismay in a November 2025 article for the New Yorker. She revealed that her own mother penned a letter to the Senate opposing Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation, and her brother had spent months publicly denouncing his cousin’s claims. Schlossberg herself made the poignant revelation in the same article that she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer at 35, given only a year to live.
The discord surrounding RFK Jr.’s political alignment and appointment underscores a long-standing pattern of public scrutiny the Massachusetts-based clan has endured. Kennedy Jr. acknowledged the family rift, telling CNN at the time of his presidential campaign, "I have a large family. I don’t know anybody in America whose family agrees with them on everything." He is currently linked to actress Cheryl Hines.
The Kennedy saga began with Joseph "Joe" Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald, who married in October 1914 and raised nine children. Their lives and those of their offspring were marked by both extraordinary achievement and profound sorrow, often referred to as the "Kennedy curse." Joe Sr. passed away at 81 in 1969, while Rose lived to be 105, dying in 1995.
Their eldest son, Joseph Kennedy Jr., died at 29 in a plane explosion in England during World War II. John F. Kennedy, known as "Jack," became the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. He had four children with Jackie Kennedy Onassis: Arabella, Caroline, John Jr., and Patrick, though Arabella was stillborn and Patrick died shortly after birth. John Jr., a pilot, later died in a plane crash in July 1999 alongside his wife, Carolyn Bessette.
The family’s story is replete with similar tragedies. Rosemary Kennedy, who experienced developmental delays, suffered permanent brain damage after a lobotomy in 1941 and was institutionalized until her death in 2005. Kathleen Cavendish died in a plane crash at 28 in 1948. Robert "Bobby" Kennedy, a Senator and former US Attorney General, was assassinated at 42 in June 1968. His son, David, died of a drug overdose at 28 in 1984, and another son, Michael, died in a skiing accident at 39 in 1997. In 2020, Robert’s granddaughter, Maeve Kennedy McKean, died at 40 in an accidental drowning.
Amidst the sorrow, the Kennedys have also fostered enduring legacies of public service and philanthropy. Eunice Shriver, another of Joe Sr. and Rose’s children, founded the Special Olympics and passed away at 88 in 2009. Her daughter, Maria Shriver, was married to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger from 1986 to 2021, and their children continue to make their mark. Their son, Patrick Schwarzenegger, has become an actor, notably appearing in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus, and married Abby Champion in September 2025.
Other members of the sprawling family continue to shape public life. Jean Kennedy Smith, a diplomat who served as Ambassador to Ireland, was the longest-lived of Joe Sr. and Rose’s children, dying at 92 in 2020. Edward "Ted" Kennedy, a long-serving US Senator, died of a brain tumor in 2009.
The younger generations are also taking up the mantle. Jack Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy’s son and JFK’s grandson, announced in November 2025 that he would run for election to the House of Representatives in 2026, continuing his family’s deep political roots. This new ambition, coupled with recent controversies and personal struggles, ensures the Kennedy name remains a powerful and often poignant fixture in American consciousness.