Tim and Maria Shriver Address ‘Work in Progress’ Family Relationship With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Tim and Maria Shriver are addressing their strained relationship with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  

“I think people all have differences in every family so I think we were raised on family loyalty,” Maria, 70, shared with People in an interview published on Wednesday, April 22. “Daddy [Sargent Shriver] brought people of different faiths to the table, different political parties, different skin colors and was always like, that is the table.”

Tim, 66, has found himself being an outspoken critic of cousin RFK Jr. after he ended his 2024 presidential campaign and endorsed president Donald Trump, going on to serve in his cabinet while espousing anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and making disparaging comments about children with autism.

“These are kids who will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job,” Kennedy, 72, claimed in an April 2025 press conference. “They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date.”

(Autism, a neurodevelopmental condition, exists on a spectrum, and many people diagnosed with autism live happy, normal lives who hold down jobs, pay taxes, get married and have children.)

After Tim and his younger brother, Anthony Shriver, penned an open letter on Best Buddies’ website celebrating “the gifts of people with autism,” the Special Olympics chairman seemingly acknowledged how different — and potentially harmful — political ideologies can lead to strained relationships.

“Many of us are trying as best we can to hold fast to the idea that, even within our own family, sometimes the hardest place to treat people with dignity is at your own dinner table and so we’re working hard on that,” Tim shared in a new interview with People. “And like a lot of families, I think we’re a work in progress.”

In addition to their cousin, Tim and Maria have been outspoken critics of Trump, 79, especially after he unceremoniously decided to rename the Kennedy Center. When asked if he understands why family members are upset by the change, Kennedy told reporters, “Of course. I understand it, but I have bigger fish to fry.”

In Sargent’s new posthumous book, We Called It a War: Lessons Learned from the Fight to End Poverty, Tim and Maria’s late father provides lessons on dealing with political differences.

According to two of the Shriver siblings, the book’s release comes at an appropriate time.

“One of the reasons this book is timely is because all of this energy was deployed to try and heal and strengthen the core nature of this country, not to put Americans against Americans,” Tim explained. “But to believe in this country, to believe in your fellow Americans.”

He added, “Today we demonize the other side. Daddy tried to mobilize the other side. His goal was not to make a point but to make a difference.”

We Called It a War: Lessons Learned from the Fight to End Poverty is available in book stores now.