--- title: "Marco Rubio mocks Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet in podcast interview" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/marco-rubio-mocks-robert-f-kennedy-jrs-diet-in-podcast-interview" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/marco-rubio-mocks-robert-f-kennedy-jrs-diet-in-podcast-interview" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/marco-rubio-mocks-robert-f-kennedy-jrs-diet-in-podcast-interview.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/marco-rubio-mocks-robert-f-kennedy-jrs-diet-in-podcast-interview" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-13T11:05:29.878Z" source_reported: "2026-08-13T10:05:29.709Z" updated: "2026-08-13T11:05:29.878Z" trust_score: 48 critic_score: 47 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-13T13:00:49.922220+00:00" --- # Marco Rubio mocks Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet in podcast interview *The US secretary of state called the health secretary’s meat and fermented vegetable diet 'crazy' during an appearance with his wife* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 48 of 100, higher is better. Trust 48: multiple independent digests corroborate the story but no primary sources or documents are cited. - Craft 47 of 100, higher is better. Critic 47; includes names and dates but lacks direct quotes and clear fact‑comment separation. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Hype 45; headlines and digests use sensational language that exceeds the factual content. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Marco Rubio called Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet of meat and fermented vegetables 'crazy' during a podcast interview on 11 August 2026. - Rubio appeared with his wife Jeanette on 'The Katie Miller Podcast', where he also joked about his preference for Pop-Tarts. - The digests disagree on whether Rubio’s remarks reflect a broader change in his opinion of Kennedy since joining the Trump administration. - No outlet reported Kennedy’s response to Rubio’s comments. US secretary of state Marco Rubio mocked the diet of health and human services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a podcast interview on 11 August 2026. Rubio, appearing with his wife Jeanette on 'The Katie Miller Podcast', described Kennedy’s reported diet of meat and fermented vegetables as 'crazy'. The digests of the interview note that Rubio also joked about his preference for Pop-Tarts, calling them 'one of the great American innovations'. The interview took place after Rubio and Kennedy began working together in the Trump administration. According to the digests, Rubio said he had previously thought Kennedy was 'crazy' based on what others had told him. The digests disagree on whether Rubio’s remarks signalled a shift in his view: ussanews.com reported that Rubio now says he believes 'half your stuff' about Kennedy, while other digests did not mention this. ## Disagreement over the date of the interview The digests disagree on when the interview took place. ussanews.com reported the date as 11 August 2026, while Fox News, democraticaccent.com and The Hill referred to it as occurring on 'Tuesday'. The discrepancy remains unresolved in the digests. ## What the coverage left out None of the digests reported a response from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or the health and human services department to Rubio’s comments. The left-rated and centre-rated digests did not mention Rubio’s wife Jeanette, who appeared with him on the podcast. The centre-rated digest did not include Rubio’s remarks about Pop-Tarts. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 14% (1) - Centre: 15% (1) - Right: 71% (5) 2 of 9 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-13T13:00:49.922220+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 10 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-13T13:30:22.199Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The Daily Beast’s digest led on Rubio’s criticism of Kennedy’s diet, describing it as a 'brutal dig'. The digest noted that Rubio made clear he had not adopted Kennedy’s dietary habits, but did not mention Rubio’s comments about Pop-Tarts or his wife’s presence. ### Centre - The Hill’s digest focused on Rubio’s description of Kennedy’s diet as 'crazy'. It noted that Rubio and his wife Jeanette appeared on 'The Katie Miller Podcast', but did not mention Rubio’s remarks about Pop-Tarts or any shift in his opinion of Kennedy. ### Right - The four right-rated digests all led on Rubio’s mockery of Kennedy’s diet. ussanews.com reported that Rubio’s view of Kennedy had changed since they began working together, quoting Rubio as saying he now believes 'half your stuff' about him. democraticaccent.com, Fox News and American Wire News highlighted Rubio’s joke about Pop-Tarts, with democraticaccent.com and Fox News quoting him calling them 'one of the great American innovations'. American Wire News included a video clip of the interview, but the digests did not describe its content. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 4 - high: 2 - unknown: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Newsweek](https://newsweek.com/republicans-who-have-tried-rfk-jrs-crazy-diet-and-the-results-12317548) — Republicans who have tried RFK Jr.'s 'crazy' diet - and the results - [ussanews.com](https://ussanews.com/2026/08/13/before-meeting-rfk-jr-marco-rubio-thought-he-was-crazy-now-he-says-i-believe-half-your-stuff-about-him) — Before meeting RFK Jr, Marco Rubio thought he was ‘crazy’; Now he says, ‘I believe half your stuff’ about him - [Tippahnews.com](https://tippahnews.com/national-news/rubio-jokes-about-pop-tarts-as-he-dismisses-kennedys-diet-on-podcast) — Rubio jokes about Pop-Tarts as he dismisses Kennedy's diet on podcast - [democraticaccent.com](https://democraticaccent.com/rubio-rejects-rfks-crazy-diet-jokes-pop-tarts-are-one-of-the-great-american-innovations) — Rubio rejects RFK's 'crazy' diet, jokes Pop-Tarts are 'one of the great American innovations' – Democratic Accent - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/media/rubio-rejects-rfk-crazy-diet-jokes-pop-tarts-one-great-american-innovations) — Rubio rejects RFK's 'crazy' diet, jokes Pop-Tarts are 'one of the great American innovations' - [Noticias ao Minuto](https://noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/3035801/rubio-critica-dieta-maha-de-kennedy-jr-uma-loucura-nao-e-sustentavel) — Rubio Critique Diet MAHA by Kennedy Jr.: "A Madness. It Is Not Sustainable" - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6025616-rubio-calls-rfk-jrs-meat-and-sauerkraut-menu-a-crazy-diet) — Rubio calls RFK Jr’s meat and sauerkraut menu ‘a crazy diet’ - [American Wire News](https://americanwirenews.com/rubio-has-hilarious-response-to-rfk-jr-s-crazy-diet-but-then-his-wife-exposes-his) — Rubio has hilarious response to RFK Jr.'s 'crazy' diet, but then his wife exposes his · American Wire News - [The Daily Beast](https://thedailybeast.com/marco-rubio-takes-brutal-dig-at-robert-f-kennedy-jrs-smelly-diet) — Marco Rubio Takes Brutal Dig at RFK Jr.’s Smelly Diet ## Questions **What did Marco Rubio say about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet?** Marco Rubio called Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet of meat and fermented vegetables 'crazy' during a podcast interview on 11 August 2026. He also joked about his preference for Pop-Tarts, calling them 'one of the great American innovations'. The digests reported his remarks but did not include Kennedy’s response. **Did Marco Rubio’s opinion of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. change?** The digests disagree on this. ussanews.com reported that Rubio said he now believes 'half your stuff' about Kennedy after they began working together in the Trump administration. Other digests did not mention a shift in Rubio’s view. **Which outlets reported on Marco Rubio’s podcast appearance?** Eight outlets carried digests of the story, including The Daily Beast (left), The Hill (centre), and four right-rated outlets: ussanews.com, democraticaccent.com, Fox News and American Wire News. None published a full report, so the wording and framing are not directly attributable to the outlets. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/marco-rubio-mocks-robert-f-kennedy-jrs-diet-in-podcast-interview. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Marco Rubio mocks Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet in podcast interview", https://mediabias.news/politics/marco-rubio-mocks-robert-f-kennedy-jrs-diet-in-podcast-interview