RFK Jr.’s Snake-Wrangling Video At Dr. Oz’s Home Has The Internet Spiraling

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went viral after he posted a video of himself wrangling two black racer snakes from Dr. Mehmet Oz’s patio. However, anyone familiar with the politician knows he has a long history with animals and the outdoors.

Robert and Oz are more than two famous health-world personalities hanging out near a patio. They are now linked inside President Donald Trump’s health team. Robert serves as secretary of HHS, while Oz serves as the 17th administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under Kennedy and Trump.

The viral clip shows Robert walking toward two tangled black racer snakes on Oz’s Palm Beach porch. Oz asks questions in the background as Robert moves closer. At one point, Oz says, “Well, they were having sex. So what are they?” Robert responds, “They’re black snakes.”

Robert captioned the clip, “Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr Oz’s patio.” However, Cheryl did not sound like she was cheering. She thought RFK said “black moccasins,” a common name linked to cottonmouths, and immediately panicked.

“Moccasins!” she yelled. “Those are dangerous!” Robert quickly corrected her. “No, they’re not moccasins,” he said. Still, the snakes kept twisting, snapping, and biting at his hands.

Despite their fears, black racers are not venomous. The Florida Museum of Natural History says North American racers are “not dangerous to people or pets,” but they “will readily bite to defend themselves.”

RFK and Dr. Oz’s political bond started before the snake drama. When Trump announced Oz’s nomination in November 2024, he said Dr. Oz would work closely with RFK. “Our broken Healthcare System harms everyday Americans, and crushes our Country's budget,” Trump said.

“Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country. He will also cut waste and fraud within our Country's most expensive Government Agency.”

RFK Jr.’s snake moment did not come out of nowhere, and he is known to engage with animals both dead and alive. According to HHS, Robert began working with the environmental nonprofit Riverkeeper in 1985, later co-founded Waterkeeper Alliance, and focused heavily on pollution, human health, and conservation. He also has a serious background with birds. A 2014 profile by PetPlace described him as a master falconer and a New York State-licensed bird rehabilitator.

However, that animal experience has not always stayed cute and outdoorsy. Robert has faced major attention for some deeply odd animal stories. The most infamous one involves a dead bear cub in Central Park. In 2024, Robert admitted that he picked up a dead bear after another driver hit it in upstate New York.

According to The Guardian, he said he planned to skin it and eat it later. But after he ran out of time, Robert and others placed the bear in Central Park with an old bike to make it look like a bicycle accident.