The Daily Beast Podcast

Episode: "RFK Jr.’s Sex Poetry Is Sophomoric Cringe: Author"

Date: November 25, 2025
Host: Joanna Coles
Guest: Kurt Andersen

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode takes a deep, irreverent, and insightful look at the swirl of U.S. politics and pop culture, centering on the recent revelations about RFK Jr.'s "sex poetry" and his tangle of relationships amid his presidential run. Host Joanna Coles is joined by celebrated writer and cultural critic Kurt Andersen for a lively discussion that weaves between RFK Jr.'s past indiscretions, the literary battle between his wife and digital mistress, and the shifting dynamics of American political powerbrokers—from Zoran Mamdani's meeting with Donald Trump to the public evolution of figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. RFK Jr.’s "Sex Poetry" & The Digital Mistress Saga

• Cringe-worthy Love Letters

  • Coles and Andersen dissect the now-public "erotic" messages RFK Jr. sent to reporter Olivia Nuzzi.
  • Andersen describes the poetry as “reckless because he's married and running for president and like, dude, really... in a particularly adolescent way.”

    “Just the sheer awfulness of the poetry in its adolescent way is the thing that struck me.” —Kurt Andersen [02:00]

  • They read selections aloud, highlighting both the sophomoric eroticism and unsettling tones of dominance:

    “Your open mouth awaiting my harvest. Drink from me, love. I mean to squeeze your cheeks to force open your mouth...” —RFK Jr. (read by Joanna Coles) [01:28]

• Public Scandal and Literary Fallout

  • The drama widens with the near-simultaneous release of memoirs by Nuzzi (the "digital mistress") and Cheryl Hines (RFK Jr.’s wife).
  • Coles muses about the possibility the feuding exes are scripting their own public row.

    “They could have concocted the whole thing. And it's a fake row playing out in public for us all to get very interested.” —Joanna Coles [18:55]

  • Andersen: “I doubt that very much. I do think it’s real.” [19:30]

2. The Memorable Drug Dealer Anecdote

• Andersen recounts, with droll detail, how he bought cocaine from RFK Jr. at Harvard—an oft-requested story for podcast listeners:

  “I found out that Bobby Kennedy was the cocaine dealer of our class... there I was in his room with my roommate, consummating this drug deal for a gram of cocaine for $40. A lot of money in 1973 or whatever it was... He called me at my dorm room 10 minutes later, angry, appalled, upset that I had taken his straw man...” —Kurt Andersen [14:56-17:41]

• The story is used to illustrate RFK Jr.’s longtime streak of recklessness and the odd trajectory that led him to the presidential race.

3. Politics as Performance: The Mamdani–Trump Meeting

• Andersen and Coles break down the unusual and widely discussed meeting between Zoran Mamdani (a younger, ascendant New York politician) and Donald Trump, focusing on the body language and theatricality of the encounter.

  “The art of the great producer, right. That you deliver a twist. And then I thought there was an element of game recognizing game.” —Joanna Coles [07:48]

  • Andersen: “It was the most extraordinary political moment that I've witnessed in, well, certainly the last decade, really, I would say.” [03:34]
  • The conversation highlights the power dynamics, unexpected mutual respect, and how these moments reflect broader changes in the American political landscape.

4. The Competing Kennedys (Olivia Nuzzi, Cheryl Hines, and the Curse of Dynastic Politics)

• Coles and Andersen debate which tell-all will outsell the other, agreeing Olivia Nuzzi’s is the likely favorite due to public interest and her writing pedigree.
  • Coles reads an excerpt from Nuzzi’s forthcoming memoir, reflecting on RFK Jr.'s paranoid relationship to violence and family legacy:

    “I would take a bullet for you. The politician said. He always said that. Please don't say that. I said he always said that...” [31:14]

  • The conversation pivots to the endless fascination (and exhaustion) with Kennedy clan progeny, as further illustrated by Jack Schlossberg’s congressional run.

5. Reckoning with RFK Jr.’s Public Health Record

• The hosts remind listeners of the more dire implications of RFK Jr.’s platform:

  “Even worse of course potentially is the damage he is doing to this incredible public health medical research system that the United States is at the center of in the world.” —Kurt Andersen [35:32]

  • Andersen recounts the hypocrisy of RFK Jr. as a former addict and drug dealer now supporting draconian measures against drug offenders, while also being responsible for the proliferation of vaccine conspiracy theories.

6. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Exit & The Right’s Next Evolution

• A detailed discussion about MTG’s resignation, her motives, her authenticity as a “true Moggan,” and speculation about the emerging post-Trump shape of the Republican party:

  “She may be the leading edge of, like, people opening their eyes and seeing the reality and they're not so deeply in the culture…that they can't finally wake up and go, yeah, this guy is not it. We're moving on.” —Kurt Andersen [53:32]

  • Coles points out how rising health care costs affect politicians personally, referencing MTG’s daughters:

    “…they are both going to see their health premiums rise considerably, probably double or possibly triple. So that also brings it home.” [54:07]

• The idea of an RFK Jr.–Marjorie Taylor Greene ticket is floated as a hypothetical encapsulation of the horseshoe theory, where far right and populist left might unite:

  “Or speaking of blonde women, Robert Kennedy Jr. The Bobby Marjorie ticket." —Kurt Andersen [58:20]
  "It seems unbelievable. An RFK Jr. MTG ticket. And yet the minute Kurt said it, I could sort of see it." —Joanna Coles [59:26]

SELECTED MEMORABLE QUOTES (w/ TIMESTAMPS)

• “Just the sheer awfulness of the poetry in its adolescent way is the thing that struck me.” —Kurt Andersen [02:00]
• “Who has a true believer in nothing. That's a great line.” —Joanna Coles [13:13]
• “It's a masterclass in staying on message 100%.” —Joanna Coles [13:38]
• “It was the most extraordinary political moment that I've witnessed in, well, certainly the last decade, really, I would say.” —Kurt Andersen [03:34]
• “I would take a bullet for you. The politician said. He always said that. Please don't say that. I said he always said that.” —Olivia Nuzzi’s memoir, read by Joanna Coles [31:14]
• “He was a reckless adolescent. Then this poem… it's so a cringe in a particularly to me adolescent way.” —Kurt Andersen [21:56]
• “Even worse of course potentially is the damage he is doing to this incredible public health medical research system that the United States is at the center of in the world.” —Kurt Andersen [35:32]
• “She may be the leading edge of, like, people opening their eyes and seeing the reality…We're moving on.” —Kurt Andersen [53:32]
• “It seems unbelievable. An RFK Jr. MTG ticket. And yet the minute Kurt said it, I could sort of see it.” —Joanna Coles [59:26]

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

• RFK Jr.'s Erotic Poetry Revealed (01:28–02:08, 19:33–23:13)
• Cocaine Story from Harvard (14:40–17:41)
• Mamdani and Trump: Political Showmanship (03:28–13:13)
• Kennedy Family Memoirs & Literary Drama (17:41–32:22)
• Public Health, Drugs, and Hypocrisy (34:40–37:16)
• Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Exit & Future of GOP (46:19–58:07)
• RFK Jr.-MTG Ticket Speculation (58:20–59:26)

SUMMARY TONE

The conversation is quick-witted, irreverent, slightly gossipy yet deeply informed, with a heavy dash of cultural critique and political savvy. Andersen’s blend of humor and seriousness matches Coles’s energetic hosting—together, they deliver equal measures of snark, substance, and skepticism.

This summary captures the essential themes, best lines, and major beats of the episode, giving a comprehensive and entertaining snapshot for those who missed the original.