US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr finds himself embroiled in an embarrassing personal scandal after his explicit love poem to a former journalist was publicly revealed.
The Leaked Love Poem
The controversial text, described as a love poem, was allegedly sent by Kennedy to former New York magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi. According to a Substack post published by Ms Nuzzi's former partner Ryan Lizza, the messages contained highly intimate and explicit content.
The leaked poem included lines such as: "Yr open mouth awaiting my harvest" and "Drink from me Love". More graphic passages read: "I mean to squeeze your cheeks to force open your mouth. I'll hold your nose as you look up at me to encourage you to swallow. Dont spill a drop."
Kennedy allegedly continued: "I am a river You are my canyon. I mean to flow through you. I mean to subdue and tame you. My Love." Mr Lizza titled the poem American Canyon, a clear reference to Ms Nuzzi's upcoming book about her affair with Kennedy called American Canto.
Fallout and Consequences
The scandal has already had professional consequences for those involved. In early October, New York Magazine announced that Olivia Nuzzi had been placed on leave following reports that Kennedy had bragged to friends about receiving intimate photos of her.
According to The Daily Beast, these boasts ultimately reached Ms Nuzzi's boss, New York Magazine editor David Haskell, leading to her suspension from the publication.
Mr Lizza revealed that there were "many others, too explicit to print, [which] changed everything" in his relationship with Ms Nuzzi. He added: "Thanks to Bobby, I am now aware of something called felching."
Family Criticism and Political Context
The personal scandal comes amid family tensions and ongoing political controversy. Kennedy's cousin, Tatiana Schlossberg - granddaughter of former US President John F Kennedy - recently revealed she has less than a year to live after being diagnosed with terminal blood cancer.
The 35-year-old was diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia just hours after giving birth to her daughter last year. In a New Yorker article, she strongly criticised her cousin for his vaccine scepticism, writing: "Bobby is a known skeptic of vaccines, and I was especially concerned that I wouldn't be able to get mine again."
She directly challenged his position, stating: "Bobby has said, 'There's no vaccine that is safe and effective.' Bobby probably doesn't remember the millions of people who were paralysed or killed by polio before the vaccine was available."
Kennedy is currently married to actress Cheryl Hines, who plays Larry David's wife in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. She recently spoke to PageSix about the challenges of being married to him, describing "extremes on both sides" and noting that "there are a lot of people who absolutely love and support him" while others "no matter what he accomplishes, are still going to criticise him."
The leaked poem adds to Kennedy's history of controversial moments, including suggestions that chemicals in water influence gender identity, admitting to dumping a dead bear cub in Central Park, revealing he had a brain-eating tapeworm, and spreading controversial claims about viruses targeting specific ethnic groups.
