Caroline Kennedy Admits Her Famous Family Isn’t the American Dynasty We Once Knew, Months After Sparking Shocking Cousin Feud

Caroline Kennedy is offering fresh insight into the current state of her famous family.

In a statement to New York magazine, the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy reflected on how the Kennedys — once considered one of the most unified and influential families in American politics — have changed over time.

Caroline’s comments come nearly seven months after she made unusually sharp remarks about her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ahead of his confirmation hearing for health secretary.

“Just to state the obvious — though it seems often underweighted these days — there are now more than 100 adults in our family, so it’s pretty different than in the past,” she told the magazine.

Her statement echoed what New York writer Reeves Wiedeman described as a “warning” about attempting to analyze the family as a single, cohesive unit in the modern era.

The Kennedy legacy — from President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Sr., Ted Kennedy, and Jackie and Ethel Kennedy — has faced public strain in recent years, especially after Bobby entered the political spotlight.

Many family members, long aligned with the Democratic Party, have distanced themselves from Bobby, who now serves in President Donald Trump’s administration, and have openly declared him unfit for office.

Just a day before Bobby’s first confirmation hearing on Jan. 28, Caroline released a rare video statement questioning his qualifications. In her remarks, she pointed to his struggles with addiction, alleged incidents of animal abuse, and what she described as his exploitation of desperate parents of sick children by promoting anti-vaccine positions.

Caroline also accused Bobby of capitalizing on the Kennedy name and the tragedies that have defined the family for decades.

“It’s incomprehensible to me that someone who is willing to exploit his own painful family tragedies for publicity would be put in charge of America’s life-and-death situations,” she said.

She added: “Unlike Bobby, I try not to speak for my father. But I am certain that he and my uncle Bobby, who gave their lives in public service to this country, and my uncle Teddy, who devoted his Senate career to improving health care, would be disgusted.”

After her statement, a family insider told PEOPLE that tensions between Caroline and the children of RFK have always existed — but Caroline’s words brought those divisions into sharper focus.

“I think Caroline and John F. Kennedy Jr. were always first among unequals, and the RFK kids were always tagging at their heels,” the source said.

The insider described the family today as “in tatters,” noting that Caroline, 67, and Bobby, 71, remain the most prominent figures of their generation.

“Bobby Jr. basically wanted to be Caroline,” the source claimed. “But he never had the discipline, the gravitas, the intelligence, or the discretion to do it.”

While Caroline — a career diplomat who has served as ambassador to both Japan and Australia — has tended to keep her public statements minimal, Bobby has often courted controversy. At his confirmation hearing, for instance, he faced scrutiny over shifting stances on major issues.

The insider noted that Caroline’s decision to speak out marked a major turning point.

“She has never spoken publicly about anything in her 60 years, and she comes out with this,” the source said. “The only time Jackie spoke out was to preserve Grand Central. That’s how rarely these people raise their voices.”