Why does RFK sound like that? Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vocal disorder explained.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went from making his own presidential run in this year's election to landing a Cabinet pick by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy, also known as RFK Jr., is testifying at a confirmation hearing today for his position as health secretary. Click here for live updates.
Throughout RFK Jr's time on the campaign trail, many wondered about his raspy voice and what sounded like difficulty speaking or straining to get words out. Kennedy has a rare disorder called spasmodic dysphonia – a spasm of the vocal muscles.
Kennedy is one of an estimated 50,000 people in North America with spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological condition that creates a vocal tremble in mostly middle-aged people that usually lasts for the rest of their lives.
The 70-year-old has openly talked about his voice disorder and explained that he was diagnosed with the condition in 1996, “I had a very very strong voice until I was 46 years old. It was unusually strong,” he said during a news broadcast in 2023. “It makes my voice tremble. At the time, I didn’t know what was wrong with it. But when I would go on TV, people would write me letters and say, ‘You have spasmodic dysphonia.’”
Environmental activist RFK Jr. is the nephew of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy and son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. He is married to actress Cheryl Hines and cousin to Caroline Kennedy.
Here's more about Kennedy's spasmodic dysphonia condition.
What is spasmodic dysphonia?
Spasmodic dysphonia is a rare chronic neurological speech disorder that results in involuntary spasms of the muscles that open or close the vocal folds. It causes the voice to suddenly sound breathy, strained, shaky or hoarse as if a person has lost their voice, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The spasms sometimes make the vocal cords very tight, making the voice sound strained. When the vocal cords come apart, the voice sounds breathy. At any time, the voice can go from a soft, breathy whisper to a strained hoarse sound, shaking or even breaking, as certain sounds are cut off while speaking.
While there are treatments to ease the vocal cord spasms such as Botox injections, voice therapy, or thyroplasty, spasmodic dysphonia is a chronic, lifelong condition that has no cure.