RFK Jr is launching a podcast to expose 'lies' that have made Americans
sick
[April 09, 2026]
By ALI SWENSON
NEW YORK (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is launching a
new podcast that he says will begin “a new era of radical transparency
in government,” according to a teaser video first obtained by The
Associated Press.
The show, titled “The Secretary Kennedy Podcast,” will launch next week
and feature Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine crusader who has reshaped
the country’s health policy, in conversation with doctors, scientists
and agency staff, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials
told the AP ahead of the launch. In the teaser video, in a slick HHS-branded
studio with ominous music playing in the background, Kennedy bills it as
a new way to expose corruption and lies that have made Americans sick.
“We’re going to name the names of the forces that obstruct the paths to
public health,” Kennedy says in the nearly 90-second clip.
Joining the Trump administration last year gave Kennedy a new platform
for his views, some of which contradict the overwhelming consensus of
scientists. A podcast could further elevate those ideas, and further
remove HHS agencies from their long-held reputation as a “safe harbor
for information,” said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at
Georgetown University.
Administration officials say the show will help spread an important
message about chronic disease and improving health to a wider audience.
“This is part of our larger strategy to bring the Make America Healthy
Again message to as wide an audience as we can,” said Liam Nahill, HHS
digital director.
The new communication effort from HHS comes as the department has faced
a bevy of recent setbacks, including widespread criticism of its vaccine
policy changes, a federal ruling last month blocking several of those
moves, and resistance from key Republican senators that has kept
President Donald Trump’s surgeon general pick from taking office. In
that way, it could be seen as part of a rebranding strategy as the
agency focuses less on vaccine efforts and more on a less contentious
healthy food agenda ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The show, which has been in the works since early in the second Trump
administration, also reflects Kennedy returning to a format where he has
long felt at ease. He hosted his own podcast before entering office, and
has appeared on dozens to share his perspectives in longform interviews.
Tyler Burger, HHS digital communications manager and the producer of the
new podcast, said while Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty
Makary has a podcast, officials believe Kennedy's will be the first to
be hosted by a sitting cabinet secretary.
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Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. speaks
during a fireside chat with CPAC Senior Fellow Mercedes Schlapp at
the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas,
Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriela Passos)
 “We’re kind of bringing podcasting
into the government as an official form and arm of our messaging,”
Burger said. He said the set for the show was pieced together
largely with items the agency already had, and has the capacity for
a total of four people to sit in conversation together.
Because podcasts are now commonly made not only on audio but video,
they are regularly clipped and shared across social media platforms,
giving them “massive” reach, according to Melina Much, a
postdoctoral fellow for New York University's Center for Social
Media and Politics.
Much said podcasts also tend to be more intimate, conversational and
friendly than a traditional interview, allowing administration
officials to promote themselves without facing as much pushback.
Critics suggested the show would be used to spread falsehoods. It's
"just another official channel to spread misinformation that will
inject more dangerous conspiracy theories into the mainstream,” said
Grace Silva, spokesperson for 314 Action, a left-leaning political
action committee aimed at electing scientists in Congress.
New episodes are expected to drop every other week, Burger said.
Though officials wouldn't share a list of upcoming guests, Kennedy
let one slip when he appeared as a guest on a recent episode of “The
Bossticks.” He said he recorded an episode with Robert Irvine, the
celebrity chef who has been tasked with revamping U.S. Army meals.
While Kennedy's teaser focuses on uncovering lies, HHS spokesman
Andrew Nixon said the show will aim to cover affordability and other
topics that polls show are salient for voters.
“Americans are united on the need to urgently address chronic
disease, improve nutrition, strengthen food quality, and lower
health costs," he said. "The Secretary Kennedy Podcast will cover
all those issues.”
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