Even Fox News hosts struggling to make sense of RFK Jr’s and Kid Rock’s workout video
‘Listen, somebody needs to tell RFK Jr. it’s okay to wear shorts. I mean, bro, don’t be upset about your legs,’ Fox News military analyst Johnny Jones said
Why did Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and aging rap-rocker Kid Rock release a sweaty, shirtless workout collab video? Not even Fox News is sure.
During an episode of The Five on Wednesday, the panel members were left scratching their heads during a discussion of the bizarre video.
In a clip posted to X, Kennedy and Kid Rock, both shirtless, take turns riding on a stationary bike and doing pushups in what looks like a sauna. At one point, Kid Rock flips the middle finger to the camera. A title screen, inexplicably featuring a great white shark, tells us this is Kennedy and Kid Rock's "Rock Out Work Out."
The video is apparently intended to promote the DHHS secretary's Make America Healthy Again agenda.
Fox News' Greg Gutfeld watched the video and asked his co-panelists, "This raises a question: who rubs off on who?"
“You would think, ‘Oh, my God. RFK Jr is hanging out with Kid Rock. Oh, poor RFK Jr. is going to end up drinking. He’s going to be drinking again. He’s going to be womanizing again.’ And then what happens? You see Kid Rock at the gym," Gutfeld said. "He’s like, you know, working out and cold plunge—it’s like RFK was a bad influence on Kid Rock. Who would have seen that coming?”
Fox News military analyst Johnny Jones pointed out that the DHHS secretary wore blue jeans throughout his entire workout.
“Listen, somebody needs to tell RFK Jr. it’s okay to wear shorts. I mean, bro, don’t be upset about your legs. I don’t care what they look like. Take it from me, nobody needs impressive legs. You look great with your shirt off. Throw the shorts on so we don’t all go, ‘Wow, that’s weird.’”
Emily Compagno jumped on the “no jeans” bandwagon with Jones.
“My pet peeve was jeans at the beach in California. Now it might be jeans at the gym,” she said.
Even with the minor critiques, The Five is still a Fox News product, so it wasn't long before the hosts found a way to praise the video.
“I’m obviously not the audience for this video, but I like the idea of people eating healthier,” Dana Perino said. “I think that is great, and the access to it is wonderful. So the more people that learn about it, the better. I’m all for that.”
In January, Kennedy introduced an inverted food pyramid, which now places nutrient-dense proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables at the top, and grains at the bottom.
“These Guidelines return us to the basics,” Kennedy said in a statement at the time. “American households must prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods—protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains—and dramatically reduce highly processed foods. This is how we Make America Healthy Again.”
Harold Ford Jr split the difference, noting that he "doesn't get into cold plunges with guys" — referencing a moment when Kennedy and Kid Rock share glasses of whole milk while lounging in a pool together — but said he was otherwise "impressed by the video."
"I’m a Kid Rock fan. I love his music, but to the substance for one moment, I think what Secretary Kennedy is doing around food is really, really important,” he said.
He also offered an under-the-radar critique of Kennedy that may have been the sharpest to come out of the discussion.
“It’s an issue I think [Kennedy] knows, and knows more so than some of the professional medical and scientific, other things that he talks about,” Ford Jr said.
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