On February 12, 2026, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told comedian Theo Von on his podcast “This Past Weekend” that he “used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.” The comment came while Kennedy was discussing why he wasn't afraid of germs during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, “I don't care what happens, I'm going to a meeting every day. I'm not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.”
Kennedy has been sober since 1983 and has long been open about his past drug use. The remark was meant to illustrate that addiction was a bigger threat to his life than any virus. But the optics of America's top health official casually dismissing infectious disease risks while bragging about past drug use on a comedy podcast drew immediate backlash.
Brad Woodhouse, president of Protect Our Care, responded with a one-word statement: “Resign.” Health advocacy groups argued that the nation's top health official should not be publicly trivializing the risks of infectious disease, particularly given Kennedy's well-documented history of spreading vaccine misinformation and his role in dismantling public health infrastructure at HHS and the CDC.
This is the same man overseeing America's response to surging measles outbreaks, a bird flu crisis, and the ongoing rollback of vaccine programs. The Health Secretary snorting cocaine off toilet seats is the least of America's public health worries with RFK Jr. in charge — but it perfectly captures the absurdity of his appointment.