Actor Chris Pratt defends RFK Jr. while calling out partisan politics and media narratives

Actor Chris Pratt, who has starred in Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy, was recently seen on the latest episode of Bill Maher’s podcast, ‘Club Random.’ He tied the knot in 2019 with Katherine Schwarzenegger, and RFK Jr. is related to Chris’s mother-in-law, Maria Shriver. Maria is the daughter of Eunice Kennedy and is the sister of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy Sr.

While he was on Bill Maher’s podcast, he was asked about Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), who is the current U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. He opened up about his cousin-in-law on the show, where he shared his thoughts about him instead of what the media portrays him as. 

Pratt noted that some of the issues overseen by RFK Jr. appear to have bipartisan support, such as removing harmful toxins from children’s food. He defended and called that effort “a great thing,” adding that it would be unreasonable to dismiss positive outcomes just because of political disagreements.

Interestingly, Maria had earlier supported her cousin Caroline Kennedy (daughter of John Kennedy) after Caroline wrote a scathing letter against RFK Jr. Amidst the controversial situation, Chris warmly shared his thoughts about his relations with RFK Jr. on the podcast. 

Chris Pratt spoke positively about his cousin-in-law, RFK Jr.

Pratt said he is skeptical of reports about RFK Jr. because of his own past experiences with the media. Pratt even shared his call over RFK Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, where he aims to reduce the food which are ultra-processed and consist of toxins.

This action was taken in response to the increasing number of chronic diseases in children. He criticized the overprescribing of medications to children, leading them towards technology-driven lifestyles. 

Pratt said,

 “There’s certain things [that RFK Jr.] oversees that seem to be supported in a bipartisan way - like getting terrible toxic stuff out of our kids food.’’ 

He continued, 

“I think that’s a great thing. If you just do that, that’s amazing. 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.”

While the host wanted to know about how RFK Jr. (son of Robert Kennedy) is behind the doors when the Kennedys meet at any family functions, Chris shared that he barely discusses politics over the Thanksgiving table.

Talking about his bond with RFK Jr., Chris said, 

“I’ve spent a number of occasions hanging with him in a strictly family dinner kind of vibe. I really got along with him well and think he’s great. He’s funny, he’s wonderful. I love him … [But] when you jump on the bandwagon with the most divisive president ever, it makes sense that you’re going to be made to look terrible. 

He added, 

‘’So I don’t know what to believe [about his reported policies]. It’s not like I say to Bobby, ‘Let’s talk about this’ while we’re playing cards or having fun or having dinner. I’m not going to pick his brain to find out exactly which of those things are true. I just assume that none of them are? For the most part, I wish him well.”

Chris Pratt calls out politics as a ‘’nasty business’’

“Politics, it’s a nasty business,” Pratt further said on the podcast.

He explained that in Hollywood, the public image of a person is often very different from who they truly are. Many times, the perception people are given is "pure fiction."

He noted that even in his own case, millions may believe a version of him that isn’t accurate, but he chooses not to step in or get caught up in those stories.

He said, 

‘’There’s this proverb, Proverbs 26:20, ‘For lack of wood, the fire will go out.’ So somebody tweeted something, it’s not real, and 300,000 people liked it. Am I going to shine a light of 70 million people onto this?”

Recently, some of Chris's fans were disappointed with him as he did not take an initiative to endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump in the 2024 elections, as he rarely talks politics. But a few days before the elections, he shared an op-ed saying he cared less about who wins and more about Americans supporting each other, no matter the result.

Chris Pratt's upcoming projects include The Terminal List: Dark Wolf on Amazon Prime. He will also star in Apple TV+’s Way of theWarrior Kid and is also going to be seen playing the role of a detective in Mercy (upcoming sci-fi film).