Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, has once again found himself at the center of a media storm. This time, a resurfaced podcast clip in which Kennedy discusses how heroin allegedly helped him excel academically has gone viral, leaving many shocked as he prepares to take on a major leadership role in public health.
The clip, originating from a June 2024 episode of the Shawn Ryan Show podcast, shows Kennedy candidly discussing his past struggles with substance abuse. In the excerpt, which circulated widely on social media, Kennedy claims heroin allowed him to focus and rise to the top of his class.
“I was at the bottom of my class. I started doing heroin, I went to the top of my class. Suddenly I could sit still and read,” Kennedy said in the clip, which has been viewed millions of times across various platforms.
The post that reignited this discussion came from the account Republicans Against Trump on X (formerly Twitter), garnering over 3.5 million views. The reaction was swift, with many expressing alarm at the comments. Epidemiologist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding weighed in, writing, “RFK Jr. says shooting heroin helped him read again. My God.” His post received over 1 million views.
“For me, heroin worked—at first. It quieted my mind and let me focus,” Kennedy explained. However, he also acknowledged the devastating toll the drug ultimately took. “It starts working really great in the beginning, but then it begins exacting a cost… and then the cost gets worse and worse. It kills you. It killed my brother.”
