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This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von

#639 - Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

12 Feb 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: How did Robert F. Kennedy Jr. transition from outsider to Secretary of Health and Human Services?

0.031 - 25.583 Theo Von

Hey everybody, it's Theo Vaughn here, and I got a question. When it comes to soda, are you really picking a zero sugar cola that you actually prefer, or are you just settling for what you've always had? That's the question. And I'll say this, when it comes to taste, I find that nothing beats Pepsi Zero Sugar. But you don't just have to take my word for it, that would be ridiculous.

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25.563 - 50.748 Theo Von

Pepsi has been doing blind taste tests for years. No labels, no brand names, just taste. And last year they brought back the Pepsi challenge and the results were clear. 66% of people agreed and said that Pepsi zero sugar tastes better than Coca-Cola zero sugar. In fact, Pepsi Zero Sugar won in every market they tested.

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50.989 - 72.599 Theo Von

So if you're grabbing a Zero Sugar Soda, go with the one people keep choosing when taste is the only thing that matters. Go out and try Pepsi Zero Sugar today. Let your taste decide. Just wanted to let you know our episodes are now available in video on Spotify as well. Today's guest is the Secretary for Health and Human Services for the U.S.

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Chapter 2: What fraud has been uncovered in government health agencies?

72.619 - 86.038 Theo Von

government. He's an attorney, he's an environmentalist, and he's my friend. I'm so thankful that he is joining us. Today's guest is Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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86.058 - 93.488 Unknown

Shine on me, and I will follow.

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102.935 - 103.796 Theo Von

Good to see you, bro.

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104.177 - 123.227 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Yes, good to see you. Secretary. Secretary now. You can still call me Bobby. Okay, cool. I know each other from, can I say where we know each other? Yeah, sure. We've been in recovery together for years. You for almost over 40 years, right?

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Chapter 3: How does the new food pyramid differ from previous guidelines?

123.247 - 124.349 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Yeah, 43 years.

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126.172 - 135.702 Theo Von

That's wild. Yeah. Yeah, that's where we met each other at like 7 a.m. meetings above the bank over there. That was a good meeting. They shut those down during COVID.

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135.722 - 154.183 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

I know. That was heartbreaking. We still did live meetings every day during COVID. We moved from the bank. There was about 15 of us who moved from the bank, and we got into the Palisades Playhouse, which now is burned down during the pandemic. during the fire, but it was kind of a pirate group.

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154.404 - 165.084 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

I mean, for me, I said this when we came in, and I said, I don't care what happens, I'm going to a meeting every day.

Chapter 4: What role does AI play in detecting healthcare fraud?

166.146 - 197.624 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

And I said, I'm not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats. And I know this disease will kill me. If I don't treat it, which means for me going to meetings every day, it's just bad for my life. So for me, it was survival. And then, you know, the opportunity to help another alcoholic, that's the secret sauce of the meetings.

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197.644 - 209.341 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

And that's what keeps us all sober and keeps us, you know, from self-will.

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209.861 - 226.506 Theo Von

Yeah. Well, yeah, you get reminded. I mean, I go to meetings and I get reminded that other people, like, I hate to say exist, but, like, just that other people are – Just that I'm not alone. I think, you know, I get like, I see face. I'm like, oh yeah, I care about this person. They care about me.

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226.567 - 235.862 Theo Von

It's like, for some reason in my, in my addiction, it's like, there's a part of me that forgets that people care about me and that I care about them.

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Chapter 5: How can diet impact chronic diseases and mental health?

236.281 - 256.781 Theo Von

But when I go to meetings, it immediately fills that whole backlog in. But I have to go and kind of recharge that battery a lot. Welcome to Tennessee. Thank you. Yeah, I saw you were with Kid Rock. Yeah. Pretty cool, dude. He used to say he used to have cocaine and oysters. I'm like, that's a meal.

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257.915 - 265.902 Theo Von

That's a meal, dude. That's an aphrodisiac, I think. I'm saving a seat for him still. Oh, yeah. Yeah, he's one of a kind, man.

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Chapter 6: What are the challenges of addressing addiction in America?

266.122 - 274.79 Theo Von

His brother only has one leg, too. You know that? I met his brother, Bill. I think he got the vaccine, but that's just me. But anyway, he had two a few years ago. That's all I'm saying.

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276.251 - 300.444 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But he lost his leg when he was a kid. At around the same time my cousin Teddy lost his leg. And both of them became ski racers. I think my cousin Teddy was the number two slalom skier on one leg, and he was also very proficient. So they became friends. So that was interesting.

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300.945 - 307.014 Theo Von

So he knows your cousin? Yeah, he grew up with him. And they were in like a special division or no, just normal division?

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Chapter 7: How does the current healthcare system incentivize illness?

307.394 - 309.377 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

What are they called? Paralympics?

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309.898 - 316.028 Theo Von

Paralympics. I didn't know Billy was a Paralympian. I know he's a great golfer. I mean, they're just so, they're hilarious.

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316.048 - 322.638 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

How does he golf? Because his leg is cut off so high, he can't really use a prosthetic.

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322.839 - 328.347 Theo Von

I mean, I don't know. They had it. I know a lawnmower. Somebody hit him with a lawnmower. Look at that right there.

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329.95 - 331.813 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

His father ran him over with a tractor.

331.973 - 333.395 Theo Von

Yeah.

Chapter 8: What initiatives are being implemented to improve healthcare transparency?

333.696 - 357.583 Theo Von

Just put him in timeout. But, yeah, he's phenomenal. And he has the best sense of humor, you know. I'm just joking. I know both those guys super well. And they've been great, like, neighbors in Nashville. And Kid Rock, Bobby, he's done a lot of nice stuff for me over the years and stuff like that and includes me in things. And we were just texting the other day. He's got a big heart, you know.

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358.023 - 359.765 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Yeah, well, he spoke very highly of you.

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360.005 - 362.648 Theo Von

He's a nice guy. I saw you were with Bill Lee, too, our governor.

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363.289 - 391.269 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Yeah. I met him at the—he did a fireside chat with me about a year ago at the governor's conference, and I really—we really bonded. He's a good guy, and he works with both sides on the legislature. He's got a great relationship, and he's done a bunch of good stuff in this state. He's gotten—you know, he's on top of fluoride. They got really good— Snap waiver.

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391.329 - 415.728 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

So I think they've got probably one of the best snap waiver. The snap waiver is the food stamp waiver. So you can't spend food stamp dollars on sodas or candy, but they also have sugar content and Corn syrup content. Oh, here in Tennessee? Yeah. I think they're the only state that has that now, and they've also banned food dyes.

416.749 - 437.738 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

They banned a couple of them, and they're going to ban the rest of them now. And what are we finding out with food dyes? Well, the food dyes, we've now, you know, we've told the companies they've got to get rid of all of them. There's nine of them. And the worst four we already banned. The other five, I think by the end of this year, everybody should have stopped using them. And then we rapid-

438.292 - 463.846 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

approved four new vegetable dyes so that they can replace them with, you know, something healthy. So we did that through FDA. We're working with the industry to make sure that they can do it, but they've been very, very cooperative. Most of them about... 40% of the industry came to us, including the entire ice cream industry, came to us and said, we want to do this, but help us.

464.266 - 487.025 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

So we were working very closely with them, and they're all getting rid of it. I mean, we should have gotten rid of it a long time ago. The Europeans don't allow it. Canada doesn't allow it. Other countries, you can buy Froot Loops in this country that are just loaded with chemicals. And you can buy, same company makes Froot Loops for Canada and Mexico that don't have the chemicals.

487.085 - 502.572 Theo Von

Yeah. Well, yeah, there's a kid on TikTok and he was eating Froot Loops and then his poop was glowing in the dark. You see that? I'm like, dang, that thing will swim upstream. That's crazy. I mean, but yeah, some of it definitely seems bonkers. And what did you say about fluoride?

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