UMVA has learned that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a dramatic new video of himself rescuing a rattlesnake after a wave of public concern over a previous snake‑handling clip.
The Instagram footage opens with Kennedy Jr. seated in his home office when a voice alerts him to a serpent slithering across the driveway. “Hold on, guys. I’ll be back in a flash,” he says, grabbing a bucket and a small net before sprinting outdoors.
With careful precision, the secretary scoops up the rattlesnake, drawing gasps from onlookers who watch the scene unfold. He places the creature in the bucket, then pins it behind the head, lifting it toward the camera while explaining its identity.
“His fangs are in there. I don’t want to touch them,” he remarks, admiring the animal’s pattern. “This is a beautiful snake. This is a Western Diamondback. You can tell by these rings at the end of his tail.”
After the brief showcase, Kennedy Jr. asks his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, to fetch a pillowcase. He then transports the rattlesnake back to the wild, releasing it unharmed.
The post appears to be a direct response to criticism sparked by an earlier video shared on X, where Kennedy Jr. wrestled two black racer snakes with his bare hands while Hines looked on in alarm.
In that earlier clip, the snakes repeatedly bit his hands as he lifted them by their tails, prompting Hines to plead, “Bobby, please!” and later call him “nuts.” The black racers, while non‑venomous, are known to bite when threatened.
By contrasting the harmless black racers with a genuinely venomous Western Diamondback, the secretary’s latest footage has reignited debate over whether a senior government official should risk close contact with dangerous wildlife.
