- A commercial supporting presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. played during the Super Bowl.
- One of Kennedy Jr.'s cousins blasted him for using his dead mother's image in the video.
- The candidate apologized and said he had no hand in its creation, though he's still promoting it.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apologized Sunday night for a commercial his super PAC ran during the Super Bowl promoting his campaign. Despite the apology, he's still prominently advertising the video at the top of his X account.
The American Values super PAC ran the 30-second ad during the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. The commercial didn't outline any of Kennedy's policy plans or his misleading claims about vaccinations. Instead, it replicated an ad from his late uncle former President John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign that included images of members of the Kennedy family.
After the ad aired, a family member of his, Bobby Shriver, called his cousin out on X for including images of his dead mother.
"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces- and my Mother's," Shriver wrote. "She would be appalled by his deadly health care views. Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA."
Two hours later, Kennedy addressed the commercial on X.
"I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain," Kennedy said. "The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."
Though Kennedy apologized for the advertisement, a version of it remains pinned at the top of his X account.
The American Values 2024 super PAC told CNBC's Brian Schwartz Sunday night that the commercial cost the PAC about $7 million.
According to its latest Federal Elections Commission filing, American Values 2024 had just under $15 million in cash on hand at the end of 2023, meaning the super PAC appears to have used just under half of its funds on the 30-second advertisement.
Sunday night wasn't the first time a Kennedy family member has publicly admonished Kennedy Jr. After he altered his candidacy in October 2023 to run as an independent instead of a Democrat, four of his siblings publicly shunned him.
"Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment," they said in a statement at the time. "Today's announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country."
Correction: February 13, 2024 — An earlier browser headline in this story incorrectly described Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s apology. He did not take personal responsibility for the contents of the ad, which he said was produced without involvement from his campaign.
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