RFK Jr. Flails as Senator Interrogates Him for Saying Black Kids Need To Be 'Reparented' [View all]

Source: MEDIAite

Apr 22nd, 2026, 8:47 pm


Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled on Wednesday over comments he made about Black children needing to be “reparented.”. During a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) pointed to some remarks Kennedy made during a June 2024 appearance on the Earn Your Leisure podcast.

“Every Black kid is now just standard put on Adderall, SSRIs, Benzos, which are known to induce violence,” Kennedy said at the time. “And those kids are going to have a chance to go somewhere and get reparented — to live in a community where there’ll be no cellphones, no screens. You’ll actually have to talk to people.”. Kennedy also referred to “wellness farms” during the podcast.

In Wednesday’s hearing, Alsobrooks cited Kennedy’s tense exchange last week with Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) about the same subject and attempted to get the secretary to admit he had said Black kids should be reparented:

ALSOBROOKS: Can you admit today that you said every Black kid can get reparented on a wellness farm? Can you admit that you said that?

KENNEDY: Reparented on a wellness farm?”

ALSOBROOKS: You said, “Every Black kid is now just standard put on Adderall, SSRIs, Benzos, which are known to induce violence. And those kids are going to have a chance to go somewhere and get reparented — to live in a community where there’ll be no cellphones, no screens.” You know, you claimed, in fact, you went on say, actually the whole transcript is even worse. You said that if you could, you would send quote, “every Black kid” – again, “to go live on farms and work.”

Is that your–

KENNEDY: I would have to see, hear that recording.

ALSOBROOKS: Well, I have the recording.

KENNEDY: I have no memory of saying anything like that.

ALSOBROOKS: Yeah, well, I actually have the recording that I can give to you. But that is absolutely what you said. And if you want me to play it, I can play it.