U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. isn’t afraid to double text when it comes to vaccines. That’s according to Bill Nye, who has made a name for himself (the “science guy”) over decades educating the public about science.
“Just no self-awareness,” the 69-year-old told Men’s Health for a piece penned by Ryan D’Agostino that was published this week. He was referring to a text chain from Kennedy, who Nye met through actor and environmental advocate Ed Begley, Jr.
Before Kennedy joined the administration of Republican President Trump, he was known as a member of one of the most famous Democratic families in the U.S. and as an environmental lawyer. Over recent years, he has also become known for his vaccine skepticism, particularly the COVID-19 vaccine.
This year, Kennedy announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. That move drew criticism from Dr. Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP).
Just this week, the HHS announced the entire Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices panel would be replaced. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, called that move reckless and misinformed.
“This is real,” said Nye – who is known for the “Bill Nye the Science Guy” “Bill Nye Saves the World” and “The End is Nye” – program from the 1990s that children often watch in classrooms, as well as more recent titles such as of the text chain he showed to Men’s Health. According to the outlet, it included “miles of texts” from Kennedy “with links and few interruptions.”
“And if you read these articles he sent, they’re all this speculation about autism and just cause-and-effect, and mercury in vaccines, that maybe there’s a connection,” said Nye. “I wrote him back and said, ‘Okay, I’ll read your book. I think you’ve confused causation with correlation. Your friend, Bill.’”
That just spurred more texts, said Nye.
“So I wrote, ‘Okay, no more texts.’ And he started again! So I cut him off. He does not have good judgment. He is not suited for this job.”
Men’s Health said that Nye became frustrated while speaking of Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism and the current state of public education regarding vaccines.
“There’s an outbreak of measles in Texas. Did you hear about this? It was a religious sect that has historically low vaccination rates. And the argument from the other side is: They have rights not to get vaccinated. No, you don’t! And unvaccinated people can, and usually do, spread a disease. And that’s why we have these rules, for public health! It’s not arbitrary,” said Nye.
There have been measles outbreaks other than the large one in Texas Nye mentioned (even Kennedy recommended getting measles vaccines in light of it, per an Audacy report) – up to 21 reported so far this year as of Friday. Overall, 1,197 confirmed measles cases had been reported by 35 jurisdictions as of Thursday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I’m of a certain age: You got measles, you got chicken pox, you got what used to be called German measles, now it’s called rubella. And you would go through that. You’d be sick and out of school, and everybody understood that’s what you were doing for five days, and your parents had to stay home from work. And by inventing these vaccines, you don’t have to do that,” said Nye. “So let’s look at it this way: Now the parents can go to work and pay taxes! There you go! Isn’t that good? They don’t miss a day of work; they’re more productive.”
Now, with pushback against vaccines and the rise of other health trends like drinking raw milk have Nye shaking his head.
“You guys! What is happening?” he asked.
In his interview, Nye also shared his thoughts on another Trump ally, though one who has recently been beefing with the president.
“I gave him a ride to the airport many years ago,” he said of multibillionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who led efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Trump. “He was funny. And a little odd. But you could have a conversation with him. Now he’s – with respect, he’s just lost his way.”