Tig Notaro speaks out about friendship break-up with Cheryl Hines over RFK Jr’s divisive politics

Formerly longtime friends, Notaro and Hines co-hosted the ‘Tig and Cheryl: True Story’ podcast from 2020 to 2023

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Tig Notaro is opening up about her decision to walk away from her longtime friendship with Cheryl Hines over the Curb Your Enthusiasm star’s husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his MAGA-aligned politics.

The stand-up comedian, 54, and Hines, 60, previously co-hosted their podcast, Tig & Cheryl: True Story, from 2020 to 2023. In that time, Kennedy, 72, launched his presidential campaign, which he later suspended before endorsing Donald Trump.

During a recent episode of MS NOW’s The Best People with Nicolle Wallace podcast, Notaro said that while working with Hines gave her some of the “deepest, hardest laughs,” she ultimately decided to quit their podcast because of Kennedy’s controversial views.

“My friendship with her predated Bobby,” the Oscar-nominated comedian said, “and there were things that he thought and felt that I didn’t agree with, but he didn’t have the platform he got during the pandemic.

“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.* Tig & Cheryl: True Story* saw the hosts discuss different documentaries, with their conversations often veering off into personal anecdotes or comedic tangents.

Notaro said it got to a point where people would “interrupt my stand-up shows and yell that, ‘Bobby is crazy.’” She eventually confronted Hines about how Kennedy’s divisive platform was beginning to affect her career.

“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.’ But she wanted to keep doing the podcast, but I had to step away,” Notaro said, clarifying, “but I loved her so much.”

The comedian shared that despite distancing herself publicly, she continued reaching out to Hines to “send her love and support, because I didn’t know what was going on behind closed doors, because things shifted very severely.”

“And she would respond very pleasantly,” Notaro noted, “but then I realized one day, she doesn’t ever reach out to me anymore. She responds to me, but she doesn’t reach out to me. But I had to shake myself out of denial that, ‘Oh, she’s gone,’ and, ‘OK, I need to let this go. I need to let it go.’”

Notaro addressed claims that she “dumped [Hines] and left her in the dust because of Bobby,” explaining that she was “trying to be a friend to her even though I didn’t feel like I could continue with the podcast.”

“But it’s been very strange,” she said of their fallout, “and I think I’ve moved past the confusion and sadness.”

The Independent has contacted Hines’s representative for comment.

Hines and Kennedy have been married since 2014. Their relationship has also caused friction between Hines and her former Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star, Larry David. The two have not spoken since the sitcom ended in 2024.

“I think he’s mad,” Hines told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas in December. “Because Bobby’s in the administration.” However, she clarified that the silence between them was not unusual since they were not that close outside of filming.

“It’s not like Larry and I used to play pickleball and we don’t now. You know what I mean? I would really see him at work or things like that once in a while, have lunch, but I haven’t really been around in LA the same time he has. So, I don’t know,” she said. “I’m sure things would be fine with us.”

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