Hines Comments On Her Husbands Decisions During Interview

By
Mark Stevens
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Cheryl Hines took a seat on The View this week, likely expecting a conversation about her work, her family, and yes — her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But what unfolded on-air was a classic display of performative ignorance from Whoopi Goldberg, who once again proved that confidence without research is a bad combination in daytime television.

The subject turned to Kennedy — not in his role as independent presidential candidate, but as the hypothetical Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position RFK Jr. has been floated for in various political conversations. That gave Goldberg an opening to throw a jab, questioning his qualifications for such a role — implying that without a medical degree, Kennedy shouldn’t even be considered.


Cue Cheryl Hines, calmly but firmly pointing out a basic fact Goldberg somehow missed: the HHS Secretary has never been required to be a doctor. In fact, none of the past HHS Secretaries under either Republican or Democratic administrations have held an M.D. Xavier Becerra, Biden’s current HHS head, is a lawyer. Kathleen Sebelius? A former governor. Sylvia Burwell? An economist.

And yet here was Goldberg, incredulous that RFK Jr., an environmental attorney and health advocate with decades of legal, nonprofit, and scientific activism under his belt, could be considered for a role that has historically been filled by non-doctors. If you needed a reminder of how unserious The View can be, this was it.


What makes Goldberg’s attack even more farcical is her long-running praise for Jill Biden as a “great medical doctor.” Of course, as nearly everyone now knows, Jill Biden holds a Doctorate in Education — not medicine. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if Whoopi wants to play the credentials game, she might want to check her own team’s scoreboard before taking shots.

Then again, this is par for the course. Goldberg has carved out a niche for herself as the high priestess of daytime punditry — high on attitude, low on prep. Her record of misstatements on everything from the Holocaust to the Constitution isn’t just embarrassing, it’s staggering. And once again, Cheryl Hines had to play the adult in the room, quietly correcting the misinformation with grace that far exceeded what was deserved.


Hines didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t throw a tantrum. She just calmly reminded America that experience comes in more forms than a medical license, and that yes — even health policy can benefit from a diversity of thought, not just a chorus of government rubber-stampers.

Science, as she rightly noted, evolves. Medicine is often revised. Just look at the recent reassessments of over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol, once considered benign and now under scrutiny for links to developmental issues. If “trust the science” is going to mean anything, it has to allow room for dissent, dialogue, and yes — leadership from outside the club.

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