{"id":8328,"date":"2026-04-08T16:32:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T16:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/new-book-alleges-rfk-jr-tormented-mary-richardson-over-her-weight-during-their-collapsing-marriage\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T16:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T16:32:27","slug":"new-book-alleges-rfk-jr-tormented-mary-richardson-over-her-weight-during-their-collapsing-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/new-book-alleges-rfk-jr-tormented-mary-richardson-over-her-weight-during-their-collapsing-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"New Book Alleges RFK Jr. Tormented Mary Richardson Over Her Weight During Their Collapsing Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is no stranger to headlines, but the latest portrait of the current U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services is especially grim. Investigative reporter Isabel Vincent\u2019s forthcoming biography, RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise<\/em>, claims Kennedy relentlessly mocked his late second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, about her appearance while their 16-year union disintegrated.<\/p>\n

A marriage that unraveled in public and private<\/h2>\n

Kennedy filed for divorce from Richardson in 2010, two years before the 52-year-old designer and environmental activist died by suicide in May 2012. The couple had four children\u2014Conor, Kyra, William and Aidan\u2014ranging today from 24 to 31. Friends tell Vincent that Richardson, who battled depression for years, fought to keep the marriage intact even as her husband\u2019s behavior grew increasingly harsh.<\/p>\n

According to an excerpt published by People<\/em>, Kennedy allegedly \u201cwould put his arm around her and criticize her,\u201d calling attention to her weight and telling her she had \u201csquandered her beauty.\u201d One source quoted in the book says Richardson was \u201cterrified of his bullying, especially during the divorce negotiations,\u201d yet \u201cfiercely wanted to remain married.\u201d<\/p>\n

William Morrow, the book\u2019s publisher, says Vincent had \u201cexclusive access to RFK Jr.\u2019s personal diaries, candid interviews and previously unreleased material.\u201d The diaries, along with interviews with more than two dozen friends and household employees, form the backbone of Vincent\u2019s account.<\/p>\n

What the book says about Kennedy\u2019s private journals<\/h2>\n

While the full text will not hit shelves until April 14, early copies circulating among reporters describe passages in which Kennedy allegedly recorded his frustration with Richardson\u2019s mental-health struggles. One entry cited by Vincent reads: \u201cI can\u2019t live like this anymore. She won\u2019t get help and she won\u2019t stop drinking.\u201d Another passage reportedly refers to Richardson as \u201ca ghost of the woman I married.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vincent writes that Kennedy\u2019s aides urged him to stop writing such visceral thoughts down, fearing they could become evidence in a custody fight. Indeed, once the divorce proceedings began, Richardson\u2019s legal team subpoenaed the diaries. Portions were later sealed by a Westchester County judge at the request of both parties, but Vincent says she obtained unredacted excerpts from a former household staffer.<\/p>\n

The book also claims Kennedy kept a separate ledger in which he tracked Richardson\u2019s daily weight fluctuations and compared them with photographs of her from their early courtship in the mid-1990s. A caretaker interviewed by Vincent describes finding the notebook in Kennedy\u2019s study: \u201cIt was like a high-school mean-girl scrapbook, except written by a 50-something-year-old man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Family reactions and the Kennedy code<\/h2>\n

Several members of the extended Kennedy clan declined to speak on the record for Vincent\u2019s project, but the author writes that two of Kennedy\u2019s sisters \u201cexpressed discomfort\u201d about the way Richardson was treated once the marriage soured. One sibling, who is not named, is quoted as saying, \u201cWe\u2019re taught to keep things in-house. But that doesn\u2019t mean we always like what we see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richardson\u2019s friends paint a darker picture. Fashion designer Geoffrey Beene\u2019s former assistant, Lisa Rutherford, tells Vincent that Richardson once arrived at a fittings appointment \u201cshaking and 20 pounds lighter than the month before\u201d after Kennedy allegedly told her she was \u201can embarrassment to the Kennedy name.\u201d Rutherford adds: \u201cMary said, \u2018It\u2019s the Kennedys or nobody,\u2019 and she meant it. She thought if she could just stay thin and sober, he\u2019d come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kennedy\u2019s public-relations team has not issued a detailed response to the new allegations. A brief statement provided to People<\/em> reads: \u201cMr. Kennedy loved Mary and grieves her death to this day. He will not be commenting further out of respect for their children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why the claims matter now<\/h2>\n

As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kennedy oversees agencies that handle mental-health parity rules and eating-disorder research grants. Advocates say the reported behavior\u2014if true\u2014raises questions about whether he can impartially lead initiatives aimed at reducing weight stigma and expanding access to behavioral-health care.<\/p>\n

Dr. Sarah Lipson, a Boston University public-health professor who studies weight discrimination, told InfluencersWiki<\/em>: \u201cWhen a cabinet member is accused of weaponizing body size against a spouse, it undermines credibility on policies meant to protect vulnerable patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kennedy has publicly supported expanding mental-health services, particularly for young adults. During his Senate confirmation hearings last winter, he cited his own family\u2019s struggles with addiction as motivation for the role. Senators did not ask about the contents of Vincent\u2019s then-unpublished book.<\/p>\n

Key takeaways from the biography so far<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Vincent interviewed 67 sources, including 14 former household employees who spoke under condition of anonymity.<\/li>\n
  • The book claims Kennedy kept two separate sets of diaries\u2014one for \u201cpublic legacy\u201d and another \u201cprivate venting\u201d that he stored in a locked drawer.<\/li>\n
  • Richardson reportedly sought couples therapy in 2008; Kennedy attended only three sessions, according to therapist notes cited by Vincent.<\/li>\n
  • A
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