Overview
- Kennedy posted a roughly 49-second clip on May 26, 2026 showing him pick up two entwined black racer snakes on the patio of CMS administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz as his wife Cheryl Hines pleaded for him to release them.
- The snakes were identified as non-venomous black racers and one appears to bite Kennedy during the encounter, which he acknowledged on camera.
- Herpetologists cautioned that racers will bite when cornered and that grabbing snakes by the tail or holding them for prolonged periods can stress or injure them, urging people to leave wild snakes alone or call professionals.
- The video went viral and produced mixed public reaction from mockery to praise, and no departmental policy action or formal disciplinary response by HHS has been reported so far.
- Reporters and outlets framed the clip as the latest in a pattern of Kennedy animal stories dating back years, a streak that now shapes how the public and media view his behavior and the optics of a cabinet secretary handling wildlife at a subordinate’s home.