Comedian Tig Notaro revealed this week that she ended her friendship with actress Cheryl Hines due to Hines’ husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his political beliefs.
Speaking on the podcast Breaking Bread With Tom Papa, Notaro explained that her once-close relationship with Hines — best known for her role on Curb Your Enthusiasm — changed after Kennedy launched his presidential campaign.
“Cheryl’s married to Bobby Kennedy Jr. When he was announcing his run, I just felt like I needed to step away,” Notaro said. “Because there are beliefs that were like a gnat on the arm years ago that were getting further into the spotlight.”
The two comedians had previously co-hosted the podcast Tig and Cheryl: True Story, where they humorously discussed documentaries they’d watched together. Notaro described Hines as one of her “favorite friends to be ridiculous with,” but said politics eventually drove a wedge between them.
Notaro explained that she met Hines before her 2014 marriage to Kennedy, who was known at the time for his environmental activism. “He was in environmental law. And, again, other beliefs he had were like a gnat on my arm,” Notaro recalled. “But then it started to grow, and Cheryl wanted me to hear Bobby out. They had these good ideas, and I was like, ‘I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.’ I just didn’t trust it. And then he endorsed Trump, and then it just got hard.”
While Kennedy’s political views have drawn controversy, Hines has generally stayed quiet about her husband’s positions. In a 2024 interview with Fox News Digital, she said she and Kennedy handle their political differences through open communication.
“One of the things that I’ve learned, especially about politics, is you’re not going to agree with somebody about everything, and it’s OK,” Hines said at the time. “We’ve learned to talk through it. Talk it out. Listen to each other. Sometimes agree to disagree or say, ‘Oh, I’m going to think about that,’ or ‘I don’t like the way you’re saying it. I wish you’d say it in a different way.'”
Notaro didn’t express any personal animosity toward Hines, but made clear that stepping back was necessary. “It was just something I had to do,” she said.