Tig Notaro is opening up about the painful end of her friendship with Cheryl Hines.
During an appearance on Breaking Bread With Tom Papa on Oct. 14, the comedian revealed that her relationship with the Curb Your Enthusiasm star deteriorated after Hines married Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Before their falling out, Notaro, 54, and Hines, 60, co-hosted a podcast titled Tig & Cheryl: True Story, where they discussed a different documentary each week.
“Cheryl was one of my favorite friends to be ridiculous with,” Notaro shared, recalling how much joy their collaboration once brought her. “We made each other laugh so hard. I love documentaries, and it was fun to have to watch one every week — but we also took the pressure off.”
However, as Hines’ marriage to Kennedy evolved, the dynamic between the friends began to change. Notaro explained that Kennedy’s opinions were initially easy to dismiss — “like a gnat on the arm,” she said — but as his public platform expanded, they became harder to ignore.
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Their friendship, Notaro noted, “predated” Hines’ marriage, but Kennedy’s entry into the 2024 presidential race marked a turning point. “I felt like I needed to step away,” she said, admitting that his growing visibility and controversial beliefs made it difficult for her to stay close.
“It started to grow, and Cheryl wanted me to hear Bobby out,” Notaro explained. “They had these good ideas, and I was like, ‘I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.’ I just didn’t trust it. And then he endorsed Trump, and then it just got hard.”
After Kennedy dropped out of the race in August 2024 and endorsed Donald Trump, he was later nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy’s record has long been marked by polarizing positions, including anti-vaccine rhetoric and unsupported medical claims.
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“When somebody says, ‘Oh, we don’t agree on everything’ in a marriage — that’s so vague,” Notaro reflected. “Where it has led is… it’s not my world. It’s a hard pass. You’re okaying a particular ride for this country to go on.”
When host Tom Papa mentioned that he missed the podcast she and Hines once shared, Notaro became visibly emotional.
“It’s really sad, because it brought me so much joy,” she said. “And Cheryl brought me so much joy. But that’s what I’m looking for again — to prioritize people and projects that truly bring me joy.”
