Health Secretary RFK Jr. admits he used to ‘snort cocaine off a toilet seat’ as he details past substance abuse

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a shocking confession about his previous substance abuse.

The Health and Human Services Secretary sat down with Theo Von for an interview on the podcast This Past Weekend where they discussed meeting for the first time during morning recovery meetings.

The 72-year-old politician, who has been in recovery for 43 years, said that after the meetings shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he and other members of the group secretly met up in private in what he called a ‘pirate’ group.

“I said I don’t care what happens, I’m going to a meeting every day,” he said on the podcast regarding his decision to attend recovery meetings even during the pandemic.

RFK Jr. spoke about his previous substance abuse (Bloomberg / Contributor/ Getty Stock)

He then shocked listeners and viewers sharing an insight into his past substance abuse. “I said, I’m not scared of a germ.’ I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.”

“I know this disease will kill me, right? Like if I don't treat it, which means for me going to meetings every day, it's just bad for my life,” he continued. “For me, it was survival.”

He went on to say that the opportunity to help another person in recovery also helped, adding “That's the secret sauce of the meetings, and that's what keeps us all sober. Keeps us from self-will.”

This isn’t the first time RFK Jr. has shared his history of substance abuse. In 2024 during an interview on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast, he said drugs helped his academic performance. “I did very, very poorly in school, until I started doing narcotics," he said.

"Then I went to the top of my class because my mind was so restless and turbulent and I could not sit still."

"It worked for me," he added, regarding his past heroin use. "And if it still worked, I'd still be doing it."

He has been sober for 43 years, having entered recovery in 1983.

RFK Jr. has made controversial comments about health (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

RFK Jr. has made several shocking claims while serving as Health and Human Services Secretary. Back in October he raised eyebrows after he spoke about the declining birth rates in the US during a speech at the White House.

He insisted that the US's declining birth rate was caused by endocrine disruptors and described the declining birth rate as a national security issue.

Last May when he was quizzed about his thoughts on vaccines, he made comments that startled the medical community. This came after he shared numerous opinions about the harm vaccines cause, which have been overwhelmingly debunked by experts in the field. One of those claims is that vaccines cause autism, a theory that has been discredited for years.

If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week