Robert Kennedy Jr has gone viral again – this time as he posed with a shirtless Dr Oz and right-wing influencer Russel Brand.
The new secretary of health and human services, 71, held a lizard as he smiled alongside Brand, 49, and Mehmet Oz, 64.
‘Northern Curly Tailed Lizard with Russel Brand & Dr Oz ,’ Kennedy wrote on the X post on Sunday.
Kennedy has a controversial history with animals – he is a connoisseur of rare species and a conservationist, but has also come under fire for bizarre antics like beheading a dead whale and dumping a dead bear in Central Park.
Social media users quickly noted the trio’s photo, with some describing it as bizarre and others as a ‘good time.’
It’s not clear where the photo was taken or what the nature of the outing was, given their revealing clothing.
One X user said: ‘I can’t even fathom how wild it would be to spend an afternoon with these three individuals specifically.’
Another added: ‘A bunch of lizards hanging out…’
Russel Brand, Robert Kennedy Jr and Dr Mehmet Oz made a splash with a photo shared on X
Kennedy Jr., speaks after being sworn in as Health and Human Services Secretary in the Oval Office last week
A third wrote: ‘Just going by what you all are wearing I’m guessing you are having a pool party? At least I hope so, the alternative is really not something I want to think about.’
While the trio’s background could not be more different, the men have come together under the MAGA movement.
Oz, a heart surgeon, made his name as a TV doctor and was tapped by the Trump administration oversee Medicare and Medicaid.
Brand is a former progressive actor who has been accused several times of sexual assault. He has never been charged and denies all accusations.
He strongly backed Kennedy’s failed independent bid for president and eventually supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Brand was paid nearly $70,000 to appear at one of Kennedy’s campaign events – where he claimed the CIA had infiltrated the media.
Kennedy’s campaign splashed more than $68,000 to Brand’s production company to cover the cost of the comedian’s travel expenses, and that of his crew.
The British actor and comedian had appeared at a comedy event for Kennedy’s long-shot presidential bid in Nashville, Tennessee, alongside other performers such as Rob Schneider and Jim Breuer.
As part of his short set, Brand spewed conspiracy theories which were welcomed by supporters of Kennedy, who is one of America’s most prominent anti-vaxxers.
Kennedy is pictured with his wife Cheryl Hines, far left, Dr Oz and his wife Lisa
Brand was paid nearly $70,000 to appear at one of Kennedy’s campaign events
Kennedy was sworn in last week as President Trump’s health secretary after a close Senate vote, putting the prominent vaccine skeptic in control of $1.7 trillion in federal spending, vaccine recommendations and food safety as well as health insurance programs for roughly half the country.
Nearly all Republicans fell in line behind Trump despite hesitancy over Kennedy’s views on vaccines, voting 52-48 to elevate the scion of one of America’s most storied political — and Democratic — families to secretary of the Health and Human Services Department. Democrats unanimously opposed Kennedy.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, was the only ‘no’ vote among Republicans, mirroring his stands against Trump’s picks for the Pentagon chief and director of national intelligence.
‘I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world,’ McConnell said in a statement afterward.
‘I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.’
Kennedy, whose name and family tragedies have put him in the national spotlight since he was a child, has earned a formidable following with his populist and sometimes extreme views on food, chemicals and vaccines.
