Tatiana Schlossberg Reveals Cancer Diagnosis and Criticizes RFK Jr. on Vaccines

Tatiana Schlossberg, while revealing her terminal cancer diagnosis, publicly criticized her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his doubts about vaccines.

The 35-year-old environmental journalist disclosed the devastating information in a New Yorker article published on Saturday, November 22, stating she had received a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia and was prognosed by her physicians to have about a year left to live.

Schlossberg's initial diagnosis came after the birth of her daughter — whose identity remains undisclosed — in May 2024. (Schlossberg and her spouse, George Moran, are also parents to a 3-year-old son, Edwin.) She underwent a bone marrow transplant and subsequent at-home chemotherapy sessions during an extended stay at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City.

In her piece, Schlossberg elaborated that her health revelation occurred simultaneously with her 71-year-old cousin, RFK Jr., ending his independent presidential campaign and publicly supporting Donald Trump for 2024. The individual known for his vaccine skepticism subsequently took on the role of secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services within the Trump administration.

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“In August of 2024, he ended his candidacy and backed Donald Trump, who declared his intention to ‘give Bobby free rein’ on health matters,” Schlossberg penned in the New Yorker. “My mother sent correspondence to the Senate, attempting to prevent his appointment; my brother had consistently challenged his false statements for months. From my hospital bed, I observed as Bobby, defying reason and widely accepted knowledge, was approved for the role, despite having no prior experience in medicine, public health, or governmental service.”

The reporter remembered perceiving the whole healthcare infrastructure as “under immense pressure [and] unstable” precisely when she needed constant medical attention.

Schlossberg considered the added burden posed by her husband, George, being employed as a physician at Columbia University. (The Trump administration revoked $400 million in federal grants from Columbia University in March 2025 due to concerns regarding its handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. Subsequently, an agreement was made to reinstate a portion of the funding.)

“Columbia became an early focus of the Trump Administration's campaign against purported antisemitism at universities; in May, a hundred and eighty researchers were let go by the institution following reductions in federal financing,” she penned. “Should George switch professions, we were unsure if we could secure health coverage, given my newly acquired pre-existing condition. Bobby is notoriously dubious of vaccines, and I was particularly worried that I would be unable to receive my necessary immunizations again, thereby condemning me to live the remainder of my life with a weakened immune system, mirroring the fate of millions of cancer survivors, young children, and seniors.”

Schlossberg further criticized her family member for contentious statements made on the “Lex Fridman Podcast” in 2023, claiming that “no vaccine exists that is both safe and efficacious.” (Kennedy subsequently minimized these remarks, asserting his stance as “pro safety” rather than “anti-vaccine.”)

“Bobby likely has no recollection of the countless individuals who suffered paralysis or death from polio prior to the vaccine's introduction,” she continued. “My father, having spent his youth in New York City during the 1940s and ‘50s, vividly recalls. I recently inquired about his experience upon receiving the vaccine. He described it as a feeling of liberation.”

In another part of her moving New Yorker article, Schlossberg confessed her profound astonishment upon receiving a cancer diagnosis while nine months into her pregnancy.

“I simply could not — would not — accept that the conversation was about me. The previous day, I had completed a mile swim, despite being nine months pregnant. I was not ill. I felt no sickness. In fact, I considered myself among the healthiest individuals I knew,” Tatiana penned in The New Yorker. “I had a son I adored beyond measure and a new baby requiring my care.”

Schlossberg is certainly not the initial member of the Kennedy family to speak out against RFK Jr. Five individuals from the Kennedy lineage— Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy and Rory Kennedy — issued a collective declaration condemning their brother upon his endorsement of Trump in August 2024.

“Our desire is for an America imbued with optimism and united by a collective vision for a more promising tomorrow, a future characterized by personal liberty, financial opportunity, and national dignity,” they stated.

Their correspondence further read, “Our brother Bobby's choice to back Trump today represents a renunciation of the principles our father and our entire family cherish most deeply. This marks a somber conclusion to a regrettable narrative.”

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In a CNN interview, Robert contended that the political disagreements present in his family mirrored those experienced by countless other Americans.

“My family is quite large,” he remarked. “I cannot think of a single American with a family where everyone is in agreement on every single matter.”

Subsequent to Robert's appointment to the HHS department in early 2025, Tatiana's mother, Caroline Kennedy, voiced disapproval of the nomination, citing her cousin's absence of “any pertinent governmental, financial, managerial, or medical background.”

“His perspectives concerning vaccines are hazardous and deliberately ill-informed,” Caroline further stated.

Tatiana's younger sibling, Jack Schlossberg, even playfully mocked Robert's wife, Cheryl Hines, in July 2025.

“Although I've never encountered Cheryl Hines, if our paths were to cross, I would suggest she appears quite dehydrated,” the 32-year-old Schlossberg joked on X on July 23.

Prior in the current month, Jack declared his intention to campaign for a congressional seat in New York's 12th district during the 2026 midterm elections.

“My candidacy is not predicated on possessing all solutions to our challenges. I am running because the residents of New York 12 do. My aim is to heed your difficulties, absorb your experiences, elevate your opinions, and proceed to Washington to act on your behalf,” he conveyed through Instagram.

Jack proceeded, “I prefer no other place than to be engaged in the political arena, advocating for my home district. Throughout the forthcoming eight months, over the duration of this campaign, I aim to encounter as many of you as possible. Should you spot me in public, kindly greet me. If I arrive at your doorstep, I trust we can engage in dialogue. For politics ought to be deeply personal.”