Bill Nye revealed a barrage of old text messages from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., some of which were links to articles promoting vaccine skepticism.
“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,” Nye told Men’s Health in an interview published Tuesday.
Nye, known as “Bill Nye the Science Guy” after his popular 1990s educational show of the same name, told the magazine that he and Kennedy met through a mutual friend several years ago when Kennedy was an environmental activist. Nye did not specify exactly how old the text messages were.
Nye said Kennedy had “just no self-awareness” during their text exchange, which included what Men’s Health described as “miles and miles” of long messages from Kennedy, with little response from Nye.
“I wrote him back and said, ‘Okay, I’ll read your book. I think you’ve confused causation with correlation.’ Your friend, Bill,” Nye recalled.
Kennedy responded with what the magazine called “more miles of texts.”
“So I wrote, ‘Okay, no more texts,’” Nye said. “And he started again! So I cut him off,” Nye said. “He does not have good judgment. He is not suited for this job.”
HuffPost reached out to HHS to address Nye’s comments. A spokesperson told HuffPost, “Kennedy is leading one of the most ambitious public health reform efforts in modern history, grounded in evidence, radical transparency, and a true commitment to the American people.”
Kennedy has made several questionable decisions during his tenure as health and human services secretary.
Last month, Kennedy’s department released the “Make America Healthy Again” report, which cited nonexistent studies — a concern the White House called a “formatting error.”
This week, he removed all members of the U.S. vaccine advisory panel. So far, his new appointees have included two people known for spreading vaccine misinformation.
One pick is Dr. Robert Malone, a former mRNA researcher who suggested that COVID-19 vaccines cause a form of AIDS, and downplayed deaths related to one of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S.
In his interview with Men’s Health, Nye expressed anger at people who argue they have the right not to get vaccinated.
“No, you don’t!” he said. “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. It’s not about your rights. It’s about my rights, people.”