“I was like, I can’t…”: Tig Notaro finally spills the tea on her friendship breakup with Cheryl Hines

Once upon a time, RFK Jr’s wife Cheryl Hines counted herself as a friend of the gays. Specifically one gay in particular, lesbian comic and deadpan genius Tig Notaro. But in light of recent events, that friendship has sadly bit the dust.

“Cheryl was one of my favorite friends to be ridiculous with,” Notaro told host Tom Papa on his podcast “Breaking Bread” recently. “We made each other laugh so hard.”

How about we take this to the next level?

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Notaro and Hines formerly had a podcast together, “True Story,” on which the friends would watch a different documentary every week and “barely” discuss it, often with hilarious results. But in the wake of Hines showing her allegiance to her problematic husband and, by proxy, to That Man in the White House, Notaro had to call the podcast—and the friendship—quits.

“Cheryl’s married to Bobby Kennedy Jr.,” Tig told Papa, “and when he was announcing his run, I just felt like I needed to step away, because there are beliefs that were like a gnat on the arm years ago, that were getting further into the spotlight.”

Notaro goes on to explain that her friendship with Hines began before Hines and Kennedy tied the knot in 2014. Notaro says that when the two first got together, Kennedy was still in environmental law, while still holding fringe beliefs that weren’t crazy enough to bother her too much at the start.

But now, the “gnat” on Notaro’s arm has turned into a full-blown brown recluse with a direct line to the White House. The podcast ended in 2023, and the friendship didn’t last long after that.

“Cheryl wanted me to hear Bobby out,” Notaro says, “I was like, I can’t… I didn’t trust it.”

Rightfully so, because Tig is not a moron! She is, in fact, the farthest thing you can possibly be from one, which probably made it quite hard to suffer the level of dangerous tomfoolery that RFK Jr. has been peddling for years.

“When somebody is like, ‘oh, we don’t agree on everything’ within a marriage, that is so vague,” Notaro continued. “I think where it has led is, it’s not my world. It’s a hard pass…you’re okay’ing a particular ride for this country to go on.”

Unfortunately, Notaro’s experience is all too common for queer people (or people who simply believe in science) under this administration. “I want to get back to prioritizing people that bring me joy,” Notaro says, “and workloads that bring me joy.”

In these times, prioritizing joy is paramount to having good mental health—something we’re going to need to hold on to in the next three years. And even though “True Story” is no longer, something great came out of the end of Notaro’s podcast with Hines: the birth of a new, all-queer podcast.

“I feel like there was this empty space in the LGBTQ+ world of podcasting,” Notaro tells host Tom Papa of her new show “Handsome,” with Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin. Luckily for listeners, the trio are keeping it hilarious on “Handsome,” and even though “True Story” had its merits, queer listeners aren’t looking back. We’re looking forward.

As always, breaking up is hard to do—especially with friends who have been there for you over the course of years. But in these times, it has to be done.

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Tig Notaro & Stephanie Allynne on Family Equality, living in Los Angeles & their fave lesbian jokes
Throughout their relationship and as they raise their family together, comedy has been essential in helping them both get through life.

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