supported her husband, , at the Wednesday, October 16, funeral for his mother, .
Hines, 59, was spotted arriving at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew in Washington, DC, alongside Robert, 70, for a memorial service also attended by the likes of former , and . Hines wore a black peacoat over a matching dress, while Robert opted for a navy suit. The married couple were seen holding hands as they entered the chapel.
News broke on Thursday, October 10, that longtime activist Ethel died at age 96 following complications from a stroke. Ethel was the widow of, with whom she shared 11 children: Kerry, Kathleen, Joseph, Robert Jr., Michael, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory.
After Ethel’s passing, Robert Jr. shared a poignant tribute.
“[God] blessed her with a rich and eventful life,” Robert Jr. wrote via Instagram later on Thursday. “Even as she declined in recent months, she never lost her sense of fun, her humor, her spark, her spunk and her joie de vivre. She wrung joy from every moment, but for 56 years, she has spoken with yearning for the day she would reunite with her beloved husband. She is with him now, with my brothers David and Michael, with her parents, her six siblings and her ‘adopted’ Kennedy siblings.”
He added, “Among her most defining qualities were moral and physical fearlessness. … My mother invented tough love, and she could be hard on her children when we didn’t live up to her expectations. But she was also intensely loyal and we always knew that she would stand fiercely behind us when we came under attack by others. She was our role model for self-discipline, for resilience and for self-confidence.”
Hines responded in the comments section, offering her condolences.
“This is beautiful,” the actress wrote. “Your mother was very proud of you. 🤍”
Hines and Robert Jr. have been married since 2014 following their respective divorces. A decade later, the politician was accused of having an “inappropriate personal relationship” with journalist .
New York Magazine confirmed last month that they placed Nuzzi, a Washington correspondent, on leave after she allegedly failed to disclose her relationship with Kennedy. (She previously interviewed Kennedy about his political career for the outlet .)
“She is currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review. We regret this violation of our readers’ trust,” the magazine’s statement, in part, read.
New York Magazine and Nuzzi did not publicly name Robert Jr. at the time, but CNN and The New York Times both reported that the subject was Robert Jr. and in a statement to The Times, Nuzzi denied that they had a physical relationship.
“I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source. The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict,” Nuzzi said in her statement. “I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.”
Robert Jr. also denied the affair, with his spokesperson telling NBC News, “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.”
Hines has not publicly addressed the alleged scandal, but she’s since been spotted with Robert Jr. on multiple occasions earlier this month.
