Comedian Tig Notaro has offered extensive commentary on the circumstances surrounding her friendship breakup with actress Cheryl Hines, describing the situation as profoundly difficult and emotionally complex.
The 54-year-old comedian departed from the podcast "Tig and Cheryl: True Story" in May 2023, one month after Hines' husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced his campaign for the 2024 presidential election. The podcast, which launched in 2020, featured the two comedians analyzing documentaries with humor and commentary.
In a recent interview for MS Now's "The Best People" podcast, published on Monday, March 9, Notaro explained that Kennedy's increasing political prominence made continuing the podcast untenable. She told host Nicole Wallace that the lighthearted nature of their program felt inappropriate given the gravity of Kennedy's political activities.
"There were things he thought and felt that I didn't agree with, but he didn't have the platform he got in the pandemic. I think that I needed to stop doing the podcast, because it was so ridiculous, it was so stupid—our show—that it was hard to be doing that when he was gaining momentum and speaking," Notaro stated.
The comedian revealed that her association with Hines and Kennedy began affecting her professional performances. Audience members interrupted her stand-up shows with politically charged comments, creating an uncomfortable situation that extended beyond the podcast itself.
"People would interrupt my stand-up shows and yell, 'Bobby is crazy!'" Notaro recounted. "I was telling Cheryl that I know it's a small percentage that pushes back online or yells out at shows, but I was, like, 'Man, this is not my world. I don't do this. I don't want to be part of this.'"
According to Notaro, Hines, 60, initially responded with understanding when she announced her departure from the podcast. Hines expressed a desire to continue the show, and Notaro was replaced by actress Rachael Harris. Production ultimately ended in December 2023.
What proved most painful for Notaro was the gradual deterioration of their personal friendship. Despite her professional exit, Notaro said she continued reaching out to Hines with support and affection, uncertain about the challenges Hines might be facing privately.
"What was most upsetting to me is we were in such opposing places, but I continued to reach out to her and send her love and support because I didn't know what was going on behind closed doors. Then things shifted very severely," Notaro explained.
The comedian described a moment of realization when she recognized that Hines had stopped initiating contact. "I realized one day that she doesn't ever reach out to me anymore. She responds to me, but she doesn't reach out to me. I had to kind of shake myself out of denial that, 'Oh, she's gone,' and, 'OK, I need to let this go. I need to let it go.'"
Notaro also addressed media characterizations of the friendship ending, rejecting reports that suggested she abruptly abandoned Hines. "What was a bummer is that there's some interviews claiming I dumped her and left her in the dust because of Bobby, but I was trying to be a friend to her even though I didn't feel like I could continue with the podcast," she said. "It's been very strange, and I think I've moved past the confusion and sadness."
Hines addressed the situation during a November 2025 appearance on the "Howie Mandel Does Stuff" podcast, acknowledging her limited ability to address Notaro's concerns. "When it was feeling a lot for her, there wasn't much I could do about it other than leave my husband," Hines said. "This is what she feels she needs to do for herself...and she feels she needs to distance herself from me."
The friendship between Notaro and Hines predated Hines' 2014 marriage to Kennedy, who currently serves as Secretary of Health and Human Services in President Donald Trump's administration. Notaro emphasized that Kennedy's earlier work in environmental law and his less prominent political positions were easier to overlook before his presidential campaign brought his views into sharper focus.
The dissolution of this high-profile friendship illustrates the challenges that political divisions can create in personal relationships, particularly when those divisions become matters of public record and professional consequence.