Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Admits He Hasn't Spoken to Caroline Kennedy After Niece's Death as Family Rift Deepens
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he has not been in contact with his cousin Caroline Kennedy following the death of her daughter.
Feb. 1 2026, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he has not recently spoken with his cousin, Caroline Kennedy, following the death of her daughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, who died late last year after a battle with cancer, RadarOnline.com can report.
The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, 72, addressed the matter while speaking with reporters at the Starry Starry Night Gala in Palm Desert, California, on Saturday, January 31.
RFK Jr.'s Family Rift
Tatiana Schlossberg, 35, died in late December from acute myeloid leukemia.
The charity event raised money and awareness for breast cancer, with proceeds benefiting the Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.
When asked whether he and Caroline, 68, had been in contact since Tatiana’s death at age 35 in late December from acute myeloid leukemia, RFK Jr. replied, “Not recently.”
“Everybody’s praying for them,” he added.
RFK Jr. attended the event at the Chaparral Country Club with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines. The couple was honored with an award during the third annual gala.
Tatiana Schlossberg
Schlossberg was the daughter of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg.
Tatiana Schlossberg publicly revealed her terminal cancer diagnosis in an essay published in The New Yorker in November.
The environmental journalist — the daughter of Edwin Schlossberg and Caroline and the granddaughter of former President John F. Kennedy — died a month later, according to a statement posted by the JFK Library Foundation on behalf of her extended family on Dec. 30.
Members of the Kennedy family gathered in New York City on Jan. 5 to mourn Tatiana at a funeral service held at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola on the Upper East Side.
Immediate family members in attendance included her parents and siblings, Rose Schlossberg and Jack Schlossberg, along with her husband, George Moran, and their two young children, son Edwin and daughter Josephine.
RFK Jr. was not present at the service. Instead, he announced a major change to vaccine mandates for children that same day, reducing the number of required vaccines from 17 to 11, a shift described as a significant change in national public health policy.
Tatiana Publicly Criticized RFK Jr.
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Before her death, Schlossberg publicly criticized Kennedy.
Before her death, Tatiana had publicly criticized her cousin after announcing her diagnosis. She called him “an embarrassment to me and the rest of my immediate family” and condemned his stance on vaccines and the impact of his appointment to lead the Department of Health and Human Services on the American health care system, which she said she experienced firsthand during her cancer treatment.
Caroline has also been outspoken about her cousin. Ahead of his confirmation hearings last January, she issued a sharply worded statement calling him a “predator” and saying he is “addicted to attention and power,” while asserting that he is “unqualified” to oversee the nation’s health policy.
The letter marked a rare public rebuke from Caroline, who had previously remained more reserved than other family members who have criticized RFK Jr. for promoting conspiracy theories and aligning himself with former President Donald Trump.
