Cheryl Hines celebrates her birthday without RFK Jr. in wake of Olivia Nuzzi scandal

News broke last week of Kennedy's alleged "personal relationship" with political reporter Olivia Nuzzi

By Gabriella Ferrigine

Staff Writer

Published September 23, 2024 1:23PM (EDT)

Cheryl Hines at the HBO & Max Post-Emmy Reception held at San Vicente Bungalows on September 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Tommaso Boddi/Variety via Getty Images)
Cheryl Hines at the HBO & Max Post-Emmy Reception held at San Vicente Bungalows on September 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Tommaso Boddi/Variety via Getty Images)

Cheryl Hines, wife of politician and MAGA supporter Robert F. Kennedy Jr., seems to have started distancing herself from her husband following his still unspooling scandal with former New York Magazine Washington correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi.

Nuzzi was placed on leave by New York Magazine last week after disclosing that she had "engaged in a personal relationship" with a former reporting subject who was "relevant to the 2024 campaign," per a note shared by the outlet. As reported by The Associated Press, the newsletter that first broke the story, Status, and the New York Times both cited unnamed sources who identified the reporting subject to be Kennedy, who dropped out of the presidential race in August. 

Hines was subsequently seen at a Fashion Week afterparty on Friday without her wedding ring, per PEOPLE. The following day, the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star celebrated her birthday with her daughter Catherine Young and Kennedy's daughter Kyra Kennedy, sharing images of the trio together on her Instagram stories. Kennedy, meanwhile, spent the weekend rallying for Trump with former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard in Las Vegas. 

A representative for Kennedy told The Washington Post that he had only met Nuzzi once, "for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece,” referring to a November 2023 story titled "The Mind-Bending Politics of RFK Jr's Spoiler Campaign."

Nuzzi, in a statement shared with CNN, said that “the relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.”