The Hollywood Star Meets Washington’s Lightning Rod
Chris Pratt has played a galaxy-saving superhero, a dinosaur wrangler, and even a small-town shoeshine boy who stumbled into greatness. But the latest headline linking his name doesn’t come from Hollywood at all — it comes from Washington, D.C.
In a revealing chat on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, Pratt let slip that he’s got more than just a passing familiarity with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the man who went from controversial Democrat to Trump cabinet appointee and current head of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Turns out, the two share family ties — and Pratt, for one, has nothing but nice things to say about the most polarizing figure in American public health.
How Chris Pratt Is Related to RFK Jr.
The connection is straight out of a Hollywood-meets-Camelot family tree. Pratt’s wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, is the daughter of Maria Shriver. Shriver, in turn, is a Kennedy cousin. Which makes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a sort of distant uncle-in-law by marriage.
So yes, the guy who plays Star-Lord has found himself at family dinners with one of the most talked-about political figures in America.
As Pratt put it: “I’ve spent a number of occasions hanging with him, just in a strictly family dinner kind of vibe. I really got along with him well. I think he’s great. I think he’s funny. I like him. I love him.”
If Marvel ever wanted a political crossover, they’ve got the script ready.
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Pratt Praises the Person, Not the Politics
What Pratt didn’t want to do was touch RFK Jr.’s politics with a ten-foot Infinity Stone.
He told Maher he’s seen firsthand how public personas can be shaped by narratives that don’t always match reality. “The person you are can be such a contrast to the person that people are being told that you are. And you can go, ‘Wow, that is pure fiction.’”
For an actor who’s spent years weathering his own love-hate relationship with Hollywood’s press machine, Pratt seemed almost sympathetic to RFK Jr.’s predicament.
Still, he stopped short of endorsing — or even discussing — the policies that have made Kennedy a lightning rod. “I’m not gonna pick his brain to find out exactly which of those things are true,” Pratt admitted. “I just kind of assume that none of them are.”
Translation: He’s sticking to the family BBQ small talk.
RFK Jr.’s Polarizing Reputation
Of course, Pratt’s avoidance of politics makes sense. Since stepping into Trump’s cabinet, Kennedy has become one of the most divisive figures in America.
His defunding of vaccine research, overhaul of health policies, and outspoken stance against Big Pharma have won him fans in some corners and fierce critics in others. For many Americans, RFK Jr. is either a truth-telling reformer or a reckless contrarian.
Pratt, meanwhile, is keeping his cape firmly off the political battlefield.
Hollywood, Politics, and the Fine Art of Not Taking Sides
Pratt’s remarks highlight a strange truth: in Hollywood, staying apolitical is almost as radical as taking a side.
The actor is no stranger to controversy himself. Fans have long debated his political leanings, his choice of church, and his refusal to join in Hollywood’s culture wars. Add to that his marriage into the Kennedy-Shriver-Schwarzenegger dynasty, and Pratt suddenly looks less like a blockbuster star and more like a reluctant ambassador between Hollywood and Washington.
By praising RFK Jr. as a person but dodging the politics, Pratt managed to sound respectful without putting his career — or his reputation with Marvel’s fanbase — in jeopardy.
The “Toxic Food” Remark That Got Everyone Talking
Perhaps the only policy point Pratt touched was a safe one: RFK Jr.’s push to regulate harmful chemicals in children’s food.
“If you just do that, that’s amazing,” Pratt said. “I’d hate to be so mired in hatred for the president that any success from his administration is something I’d be having an allergic reaction to.”
It was the kind of comment designed to be bipartisan, almost bland — but it carried a quiet reminder that, yes, Pratt is aware of what’s at stake. He just doesn’t want to make headlines for taking a political side.
Ironically, of course, that’s exactly what happened.
Why This Story Has Everyone Talking
The fascination with this odd connection isn’t just about celebrity gossip. It’s about what happens when Hollywood royalty and political royalty collide.
Pratt, the all-American movie star, and Kennedy, the scion-turned-controversial official, represent two different kinds of power in American culture: entertainment and politics. Together, they form a Venn diagram of influence that is too delicious for tabloids and talk shows to resist.
And the irony? For all the noise, Pratt’s main point was that he doesn’t want to wade into the noise.
What’s Next?
Don’t expect Pratt to start campaigning for Kennedy, nor Kennedy to cameo in the next Guardians of the Galaxy. But their family tie is a reminder of just how small — and interconnected — America’s elite worlds really are.
Today it’s a podcast reveal. Tomorrow? A family photo at Thanksgiving could set Twitter ablaze.
And Hollywood, as always, will be watching.
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