On Wednesday, Cheryl Hines accompanied her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., during his first Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing.
Kennedy is President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Hines, whom he married in 2014, had a long run as Cheryl David on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
As of 2023, Hines’ and Kennedy’s combined net worth is valued at about $15 million, according to a Forbes analysis of the couple’s earnings, properties, and debt.
Over the past few years, the pair has weathered several public storms, from Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism to infidelity rumors.
Here’s how a Hollywood actor became a part of the Kennedy family.
Hines was an assistant to director Rob Reiner
Originally from Florida, Hines studied theater at the University of Central Florida but had to change her major to radio and television production because acting in plays conflicted with her part-time job, she told the college’s The Charge in 2022.
After appearing in the 1993 TV show “Swamp Thing,” she moved to Los Angeles. She worked for Rob Reiner, the actor and director behind “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally,” and other hits, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Hines appeared in episodes of “Unsolved Mysteries” and “The Wayans Bros.” in the late 1990s before landing her big break on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” She played Cheryl David, the often-exasperated wife (later ex-wife) of Larry David.
While working on over 100 episodes of “Curb,” Hines appeared on shows such as “The Flight Attendant,” “The Conners,” and “Fresh Off the Boat.” She also had a role in the movie “Waitress,” among others.
Hines met Kennedy through her “Curb” co-star
In 2002, Hines married Paul Young. Four years later, the couple’s daughter Catherine Rose Young was born. Hines and Young filed for divorce in 2010.
Young and Hines remained friends, continuing to celebrate Thanksgiving together.
Larry David helped introduce Hines and Kennedy in 2004 at a ski event fundraiser in Banff, Alberta. David knew Kennedy through his former wife, climate activist Laurie David, The Hollywood Reporter reported in 2024.
Both Kennedy and Hines were married to other people at the time but started dating in 2010. Kennedy is 12 years older than Hines, who turned 59 in September 2024.
In 2014, the couple wed at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Kennedy has six children from previous marriages to Emily Ruth Black and Mary Kathleen Richardson.
When Hines got a star on Hollywood Boulevard, she joked that all three of her husbands were there — Kennedy, Young, and David — Fox News reported in 2018.
Hines has said she and Kennedy disagree about politics sometimes
Hines has openly voiced her disapproval of Trump. In August, she told The Hollywood Reporter about her reaction when Trump was elected in 2016.
“Even when Trump was elected, I had to really have a long talk with myself because I thought, ‘I’m not going to make it through these four years,’” Hines told THR.
Despite her opinion of Trump, she’s accompanied her husband to multiple political events lately including his first Senate confirmation hearing, Inauguration Day, and his “Make America Healthy Again Ball.”
In the past, Hines has said she doesn’t always agree with her husband’s political perspective. In 2022, Kennedy compared US vaccination policies to Nazi rule, implying that Anne Frank had more freedom in hiding than present-day Americans.
Soon after his remark, Hines wrote on X “My husband’s opinions are not a reflection of my own. While we love each other, we differ on many current issues.” Kennedy apologized for his remarks soon after.
In October 2024, People reported that a source close to Hines said she was considering divorcing Kennedy after reports came out of his alleged sexting affair with New York Magazine correspondent Olivia Nuzzi.
“She’s been talking about filing for divorce, but he’s begging her not to file,” the source told People. A rep for Kennedy said he only met Nuzzi once.
The couple are still married.
The post Meet Cheryl Hines, RFK Jr.’s wife and Larry David’s ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ co-star appeared first on Business Insider.
