Tig Notaro Says Cheryl Hines’ Friendship ‘Shifted Severely’ Over RFK Jr.’s Politics

Tig Notaro is opening up about the end of her friendship with Cheryl Hines.

The actor and comedian, 54, appeared on Nicolle Wallace’s MS NOW The Best People podcast and revealed that she had been friends with Hines before the Curb Your Enthusiasm star married Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2014.

Notaro and Hines later cohosted a podcast together, Tig and Cheryl: True Story, which launched in 2020 and ran until the spring of 2023. On the show, the friends discussed documentaries and other topics. However, Notaro said things began to shift as RFK Jr.’s political aspirations grew. He announced his presidential campaign in April 2023. Although unsuccessful, he now serves as Secretary of Health and Human Services in President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

“There were things he thought and felt that I didn’t agree with, but he didn’t have the platform he got in the pandemic,” Notaro said, per Parade.

According to Notaro, her association with the politician via Hines began affecting her own career. She claimed people starting heckling her during shows.

“Bobby is crazy,” audience members would yell, she said, per the outlet.

“I was telling Cheryl, I know it’s a small percentage that pushes back online or yells out at shows, but I was like, ‘Man, this is not my world. I don’t do this. I don’t want to be a part of this.’ And she was like, ‘I understand,’” Notaro said.

“I think that I needed to stop doing the podcast, because it was so ridiculous, it was so stupid — our show — that it was hard to be doing that when he was gaining momentum and speaking,“ she added. “I had to step away, but I loved her so much.”

Hines later replaced Notaro on the podcast with former Suits star Rachael Harris, with Notaro’s approval. The show continued until December 2023.

Notaro said she continued to “send her love and support” to Hines, but claimed to not know “what was going on behind closed doors, because things shifted very severely.”

Despite receiving responses from Hines, Notaro said she eventually noticed a change in their dynamic. “I realized one day that she doesn’t ever reach out to me anymore. She responds to me, but she doesn’t reach out to me.”

“I had to kind of shake myself out of denial that, ‘Oh, she’s gone,’ and, ‘OK, I need to let this go. I need to let it go.’”

According to Variety, Notaro called it a “bummer” that interviews have claimed she “dumped” Hines as a friend because of “Bobby.”

“I was trying to be a friend to her even though I didn’t feel like I could continue with the podcast. It’s been very strange, and I think I’ve moved past the confusion and sadness.”

Hines, 60, has made headlines in recent years for her apparent fallouts with former celebrity pals who publicly oppose the Trump administration, including with her former Curb Your Enthusiasm costar Larry David.