Guess Who Just Got His Own Podcast?

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is launching a new podcast that he says will begin "a new era of radical transparency in government," according to a teaser video first obtained by the AP. The show, titled the Secretary Kennedy Podcast, will launch next week and feature Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine crusader who has reshaped the country's health policy, in conversation with doctors, scientists, and agency staff, Department of Health and Human Services officials said. In the teaser video, shot in a slick HHS-branded studio with ominous music playing in the background, Kennedy bills it as a new way to expose corruption and lies that have made Americans sick. "We're going to name the names of the forces that obstruct the paths to public health," Kennedy says in the nearly 90-second clip.

Joining the Trump administration last year gave Kennedy a new platform for his views, some of which contradict the overwhelming consensus of scientists. A podcast could further elevate those ideas, and further remove HHS agencies from their long-held reputation as a "safe harbor for information," said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University. Administration officials say the show will help spread an important message about chronic disease and improving health to a wider audience. "This is part of our larger strategy to bring the Make America Healthy Again message to as wide an audience as we can," said Liam Nahill, HHS digital director.

The show, which has been in the works since early in the second Trump administration, also reflects Kennedy returning to a format where he has long felt at ease. He hosted his own podcast before entering office, and has appeared on dozens to share his perspectives. Tyler Burger, producer of the new podcast, said while FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has a podcast, officials believe Kennedy's will be the first to be hosted by a sitting Cabinet secretary. "We're kind of bringing podcasting into the government as an official form and arm of our messaging," Burger said. He said the set for the show was pieced together largely with items the agency already had, and has the capacity for a total of four people to sit in conversation together.

Because podcasts are now commonly made not only on audio but video, they are regularly clipped and shared across social media platforms, giving them "massive" reach, according to Melina Much, a postdoctoral fellow for New York University's Center for Social Media and Politics. While Kennedy's teaser focuses on uncovering lies, HHS rep Andrew Nixon said the show will aim to cover affordability and other topics that polls show are salient for voters. "Americans are united on the need to urgently address chronic disease, improve nutrition, strengthen food quality, and lower health costs," he said. "The Secretary Kennedy Podcast will cover all those issues."