He’s getting absolutely dragged in court right now, so here’s why RFK Jr.’s voice is so raspy

RFK Jr. is a controversial US politician known for a few things: Spreading vaccine misinformation, hiding the body of a bear cub in Central Park, and his recognisable raspy voice. Ironically, he is currently being grilled as Donald Trump’s top pick to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services.

It feels like the four years of hell are almost over, but it’s only been two weeks since Melania Trump’s hat stole the spotlight from Donald Trump during his inauguration. He’s already made a series of extreme rule changes and for the last few weeks, his nominations for crucial government roles have been interrogated by members of the senate. Most recently, RFK Jr. stepped into the hot seat.

RFK Jr.’s raspy voice is the result of a voice disorder

Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who is the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, began his grilling in the US Senate on Wednesday and has since been the subject of viral memes and compilations of his most embarrassing moments, of which there are many. But amongst the genuine questions about his experience, and his damaging statements about vaccines giving kids autism, many have questioned why his voice is so granular.

The former Democrat turned MAGA fanboy has been battling Spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition that affects muscles in the voice box, for decades. The condition causes the muscles to spasm, creating that raspy tone he has come to be known for.

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While sitting down on The Diane Rehm Show amid his bid for President, he explained: “I have a tremble in my voice … particularly when I first start talking. At that time, I was making a lot of my income doing public speaking, and I could speak to large halls without any amplification,” Kennedy said in an interview while running for president in 2024, before ultimately suspending his bid and endorsing Trump.

“In 1996 I got struck with a neurological injury – it makes my voice tremble”

“I know it makes it difficult for people to listen to me”

RFK discusses his distorted voice.

RFK will go down as an all time American Hero. pic.twitter.com/6wXCIv1pLY

— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) November 30, 2024

“When I was 42 years old, I got struck with a disease, a neurological disease, an injury called spasmodic dysphonia, and it makes my voice tremble.”

The disorder is most often found in women but projections suggest it could affect up to 50,000 in the US and a further 40,000 here in the UK. There is currently no cure, but it can be treated through the use of botox injections.

“It doesn’t treat the disorder; it treats their phenomena,” Dr Andrew Blitzer told CNN. “We can’t change the brain signal coming in to the muscle, but we can weaken the muscle so it can’t go into spasm.”

Featured image credit: Nathan Posner/Shutterstock