Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a video to social media on Tuesday showing him wrestling with two snakes in Florida, while Cheryl Hines could be heard urging him to be careful. The 49-second recording showed Kennedy laughing as he held the pair together in his right hand before one of the snakes rose up and struck his left hand.
The post was captioned, “Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr Oz’s patio.” A voice that sounded like Mehmet Oz said the snakes were having sex before asking whether they were fighting. The video was believed to have been captured at Oz’s Palm Beach waterfront mansion.
The snakes were described as black racers, a non-venomous species that is the most common snake in Florida and is known for its speed and agility. Southern black racers are harmless to humans, but the video left open one basic question: what Kennedy did with them after the encounter. It is not clear when the recording was made, and it is not clear what happened to the snakes.
The scene lands in the middle of a familiar pattern around Kennedy, whose name has repeatedly surfaced in stories involving animals. He has previously admitted dumping the carcass of a bear cub in New York’s Central Park, and he has also been accused of cutting the penis off a road-kill raccoon. Last month, a biography described that raccoon incident and other animal-related claims, and it also recounted an undated allegation that he severed the head of a washed-up whale with a chainsaw.
That background gives the Florida clip a sharper edge than a passing social-media stunt. Kennedy’s handling of the snakes was posted as a light moment, with Hines’ warning in the background and Oz’s voice adding to the spectacle, but the video itself does not show a clean rescue or a clear ending. For now, the most concrete answer is the simplest one: Kennedy posted the encounter, Hines told him to be careful, and the snakes’ fate remains unknown.
