RFK Jr. squirms as he denies he said some medicated black kids need 're-parenting': 'You absolutely said it'

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 22:09, 16 April 2026 | Updated: 22:19, 16 April 2026 President Donald Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr faced another round of grilling on Capitol Hill Thursday. Kennedy was asked about comments that he made in a 2024 podcast appearance about black children and ADHD medication.  Terri Sewell, a Democrat from Alabama, questioned Kennedy, kicking off a fiery exchange. 'You said every black kid is now just standardly put on Adderall, SSRIs, benzos, which are known to induce violence, and that those children are going to have to go somewhere to get reparented,' said Sewell.  She reminded Kennedy that the forced separation of black children from their parents has a long and painful history, stretching back to slavery. 'Have you ever re-parented or parented a black child?' Sewell then asked. Kennedy Jr. responded that he was not going to answer for something that he didn't say. Sewell then fired back that Kennedy 'absolutely said it.' During his time as a presidential candidate in 2024, Kennedy appeared on the 19Keys 'High Level Conversations' podcast. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies on U.S. President Donald Trump's budget request during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 16, 2026 U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) speaks as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies on U.S. President Donald Trump's budget request during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 16, 2026. In July of 2024, he said, 'Psychiatric drugs — which every black kid is now just standard put on Adderall, SSRIs, benzos, which are known to induce violence, and those kids are going to have a chance to go somewhere and get re-parented to live in a community where there'll be no cellphones, no screens, you'll actually have to talk to people.'  HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard told the Associated Press that Kennedy, before joining the administration, was referring to spaces where young people facing alienation, mental health challenges, and despair could get re-parented. She said it's a psychotherapy term for 'developing the emotional regulation, discipline, boundaries, and self-worth that may not have been established in childhood.'  During Thursday's hearing, Kennedy was also spotted visibly shaking while trying to turn a page in his notes. He was late to the hearing, taking his seat as Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith was giving his opening statement. Additionally, Kennedy was also grilled once again about his stances on vaccines. Polling from the President's own data guru Tony Fabrizio, obtained by the Wall Street Journal last year noted broad support for some vaccines. 'Our recent national survey of voters shows that there is broad unity across party lines supporting vaccines such as measles (MMR), shingles, tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (TDAP), and hepatitis B,' read a polling summary that was shown to staff on the Senate Finance Committee ahead of Kennedy's appearance before the group last September. Additional polling by the Journal released in July showed that respondents were not fans of the Trump administration's position on vaccines and even preferred the Democratic Party's views on the matter. Trump himself even appears at times to be at odds with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the importance of vaccines when it comes to public health. During a press conference in the Oval Office last September, Trump told reporters that 'you have some vaccines that are so amazing. The polio vaccine, I happen to think is amazing.' The President also noted that 'you have to be very careful when you say that some people don't have to be vaccinated ... It's a very tough position.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.