RFK Jr. Brags About His 'Nonexistent Gag Reflex' While Dishing on His Cooking Show: 'I Will Literally Eat Anything' 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made headlines during an interview with USA Today White House Correspondent Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy to promote his new YouTube cooking series, The Real Food Show.

When asked about the most exotic food he has ever eaten, Kennedy responded: “I will literally eat anything. I don't have a gag reflex — let me put it like that. I will eat anything, and I love experimenting with foods.”

He added that when he travels, he will eat foods from street vendors or "stuff I find on the street." This claim tracks with a viral 2010 image of him eating what appeared to be a dog carcass.

The remarks were part of a promotional press push for his government-backed YouTube culinary series launched to showcase practical, affordable cooking using whole foods.

Ramaswamy followed up by asking if there was anything he had eaten that shocked people.

Kennedy laughed and asked, "You mean like something gross?"

After Ramaswamy said yes, Kennedy remarked, "I'm getting a signal not to answer that question," and the interview moved on to a discussion about vegan diets.

Kennedy has historically drawn media attention for his unconventional culinary habits, having previously stated that he kept a "freezer full" of roadkill and frequently advocating a diet heavy in meat and fermented foods.

Kennedy’s culinary distraction comes in the wake of a viral clip in which he clashed with CNN host Dana Bash on State of the Union during a highly contentious 20-minute interview that touched on COVID-19, rising measles cases and vaccine efficacy.

Prompted by Bash to use his "bully pulpit" to speak directly to families ahead of the back-to-school season, Kennedy looked into the camera and explicitly urged parents to get their children vaccinated.

He stated, "Parents should get their children vaccinated for measles. A measles vaccine is effective; it stops measles in about 97 percent of the cases.”

When Bash asked whether he bears personal responsibility for the rise in vaccine hesitancy and the record-breaking 2,300+ measles cases, Kennedy replied, "Absolutely not."

Instead, he blamed the outbreak on COVID-19 shutdowns.

He cited Dr. Anthony Fauci's personal diaries, baselessly claiming Fauci explicitly predicted that lockdown-induced missed vaccinations would cause massive child mortality from measles.

Defend Public Health, an advocacy organization that tracks and criticizes statements and policy decisions made by RFK. Jr., has an opinion series, “Whopper of the Week,” to call out the politician.

Their latest whopper came on July 29 when RFK Jr. claimed the U.S. would lead the world in medical discovery.

Defend Public Health argues that he has actually overseen a massive peacetime dismantling of American public research.

This includes shrinking the National Institutes of Health (NIH) staff to its lowest level in two decades — a 20 percent cut — while outsourcing agency priorities to external figures such as Elon Musk and Office of Management and Budget Director and Project 2025 architect Russell Vought.

“We're closing on a full year of RFK Jr. Whoppers and will be putting together a report summarizing what a surreal experience it has been to look closely at his statements week after week and what we've learned along the way,” DPH Communications co-chair Bruce Mirken told OK!.