The secretary of health and human services and former governor of California go way back.

RFK Jr. trades Kid Rock for Arnold Schwarzenegger as gym partner

The secretary of health and human services and former governor of California go way back.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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May 14, 2026 6:19 p.m. ET

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger in May 2026. Credit:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr./X

- RFK Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger are hitting the gym together in a new selfie.

- The secretary of health and human services and former governor of California go back decades and were once related by marriage.

- RFK Jr., a gym enthusiast, shared a video in February working out in jeans with Kid Rock.

You never know who you'll run into at the gym.

On Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was joined by Arnold Schwarzenegger for a gym selfie, trading Kid Rock for his workout partner. "Senior's Day, Gold's Gym in Venice," RFK Jr. wrote of the beaming septuagenarians. Schwarzenegger mentioned in the past that they go to the gym together, and the duo have a decades-long history together.**

* *reached out to Schwarzenegger for comment and did not receive an immediate response.

The secretary of health and human services and former governor of California go way back. Schwarzenegger was previously married to RFK Jr.'s first cousin, journalist Maria Shriver, from 1986 to 2021.

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RFK Jr. wrote an article about Schwarzenegger for the 2007 edition of *TIME *100, praising the then-governor's conservation efforts and calling him a "national leader for his efforts to restore Teddy Roosevelt's conservation tradition to the G.O.P."

"Schwarzenegger believes that good economic policy, over the long term, is always the same as good environmental policy," Kennedy wrote.**

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in New York in April 2010.

Ben Hider/WireImage

Schwarzenegger, meanwhile, spoke favorably about the health and human services secretary in June 2025, telling Andy Cohen "I like Bobby Kennedy a lot" and credited him for helping his political career.

"I don't agree with everything policy-wise, but I like him as a human being. I mean, he's fantastic. He was the one that sent me when I ran for governor— he was a Democrat, obviously. Now we don't know what he is. He's a mixture of Democrat and Republican, or maybe he's more Republican, I don't know," Schwarzenegger said.

"But I mean, the bottom line is he was a Democrat, and he called me during the campaign when I ran for governor," he continued. "He said to me, he says, 'Arnold, I have someone that will help you with the environment' because he was an environmentalist." RFK Jr. introduced him to Terry Tamminen who taught him about the environment, which inspired his eco-friendly agenda in California.

"So when I ran as a Republican and a Democrat like Bobby Kennedy helps me, I said to myself that I should always be there for him," concluded Schwarzenegger of the public servant. "No matter if I believe in everything that he does or not, I will always support him."**

RFK Jr. and ex-wife Mary planned to spend time with 'depressed' JFK Jr. and Carolyn before fatal plane crash

Arnold Schwarzenegger helps pump Joseph Baena up as he follows in dad's bodybuilding footsteps

Schwarzenegger's gym visits go beyond a workout at Gold's. The former professional body builder has been helping his son Joseph Baena in his own bodybuilding career.

"He's the best training partner. I don't know what to say," Baena told *GQ* in April. "He pushes me. He makes sure that I don't slack off in the gym. When the carbs are low and the calories are low and I start getting tired, he pumps me up."

Baena, who has already won competitions, elaborated on his dad's influence, saying that Schwarzenegger gave him the "bodybuilding encyclopedia." "I was flipping through that, trying to learn how to grow the biceps, and I fell in love with weightlifting," he shared.

Baena said he "fell in love with eating healthy" after being "really overweight" when he was younger. "I fell in love with learning about the body and how it reacts to training, and I became very passionate about it," he added.

In February, Kid Rock and RFK Jr. teamed up for a video to inspire Americans to get active and eat healthy. The clip features a montage of the duo working out together, using different gym equipment and flexing their muscles. RFK Jr. wore jeans for the clip, which has caused a stir online.

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