What happened to RFK Jr.’s voice?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has recently emerged out of the shadow of his late uncle, former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and his late father, Attorney General and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, and resides under the limelight as he campaigns for the next presidency. And if someone’s caught an interview or podcast with RFK Jr., they may be wondering about his distinct, raspy voice.

RFK Jr. is an environmental lawyer, ardent environmentalist, and writer. He began his presidential run as part of the Democratic Party, but, last fall, he announced he’d attempt to earn his ticket into the White House as an independent candidate.

So, what about his voice?

The 70-year-old was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia in the 90s. John Hopkins Medicine calls it a “voice disorder” which is caused by “involuntary spasms in the muscles of the voice box or larynx.” The severity of spasmodic dysphonia is a spectrum — on one end, those with it can’t speak at all, and on the other end, someone has difficulty stating words without a “tight, strained or strangled sound,” John Hopkins Medicine described.

During an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored last year, RFK Jr. explained that an injury in his 40s led to the diagnosis. He said he had a “very, very strong voice” until 1996 when he was 42. “I had an injury that caused a neurological disorder called spasmodic dysphonia, and it makes my voice like this,” he said on the program. “I cannot listen to my voice. When I go home, I will not listen to this program. I can’t do it. I feel sorry for the people in your audience who have to listen to me. But, this is the best I’ve got right now.”

He then revealed that he and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, traveled to Kyoto, Japan eight months before the interview’s publication (it was released on YouTube in July 2023) to go under the knife. “It made my voice a lot more reliable, and now I’m doing a bunch of alternative sort-of therapies that I think are making it a lot stronger,” RFK Jr. said. “So, we’ll see what happens.”

RFK Jr. said that his voice gets stronger, not weaker, the more he uses it. So, his time on the campaign trail isn’t negatively affecting it. “It’s not a tissue injury,” he continued. “My vocal cords are very, very strong. It’s just the neurological signals that are being sent to them are telling them to tighten up all the time, and it makes my voice gravelly.

“But, I can talk 20 hours a day and my voice won’t wear out. So, I’m not worried about that.”