Robert F. Kennedy is no stranger to saying, “I do.” Prior to his marriage to Cheryl Hines, he was married not just once, but twice. The first of his brides was Emily Ruth Black, and the two were married for 10 years before separating. The reason? Shocking absolutely everyone (wink, wink), RFK Jr. wasn’t exactly the world’s greatest husband.
Okay, so that may have been an understatement. As pointed out in Jerry Oppenheimer’s “RFK, Jr.: Robert F. Kennedy and The Dark Side of the Dream,” RFK Jr. was pretty promiscuous throughout his relationship with Black, with his infidelity beginning even before they were wed. However, Black stood by him through it all — even when his drug use led to an arrest just one year into their marriage. Speaking to Oppenheimer, an insider claimed that they’d begun seeing her as a “Saint” because “she took Bobby back after all the hell he put her through.”
Ultimately, things didn’t work out, and Black never spoke publicly about the reasons why. However, a source speaking to Oppenheimer explained that during their separation, “These guys realized they weren’t ideally suited for each other. It became clear over time that their marriage wasn’t going to work out and they were just figuring out how best to end it.” Of course, it was during that separation period that Kennedy started dating his second bride – his wife before Cheryl Hines — Mary Richardson. He also conceived his first child with her and proposed — all before officially divorcing Black. Guess that’s one way to do it! Black and Kennedy were officially divorced in the Dominican Republic in March 1994, just in time for him to wed Richardson in April.
Emily Black has never spoken ill of RFK Jr.
Given the affairs, drug use, and eventual separation, it’s fairly safe to say that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s marriage to Emily Ruth Black was hardly the stuff of fairytales. However, another detail shared in “RFK, Jr.: Robert F. Kennedy and The Dark Side of the Dream” is that, despite all of the above, he certainly made claims that not-so-subtly hinted at his being husband of the year.
One quote Jerry Oppenheimer pulled came from an interview Kennedy had done with People. “Emily and I go out every Wednesday night. No matter what, we have a date.” Other claims he shared with the outlet included that he took daily runs after feeding his pets and before assisting with the school run.
It is worth noting that even with the duplicity, Black never contradicted any of RFK Jr.’s claims, nor did she speak ill of him in general. In fact, one insider who spoke to Oppenheimer shared that Black would discourage her own friends from saying anything unkind to or about him. “Emily’s always been very protective of Bobby. She has always handled that stuff with grace and class. She’d always say to me, ‘Go easy on him,'” they said. What’s more, they said Emily hadn’t even turned on him during their separation or their divorce. The friend also referenced the claims that they simply wanted to be apart, noting of the end of their union, “It was a relief for both of them.” Guess that explains why none of the scandals to have rocked RFK Jr.’s reputation (and there have been many) have revolved around his first marriage. Of course, he hasn’t been able to escape rampant affair rumors in his subsequent marriages. Even so, Black has remained quiet. Grace and class, indeed.
