A new report says Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received $4 million in book advances from allies tied to the Make America Healthy Again movement, paid through Skyhorse Publishing. His 2026 financial disclosures also list $126,500 in housing from Gavin de Becker and expensive travel gifts; de Becker gave millions to Kennedy Jr.'s super PAC in 2024 (most was later returned). HHS says Kennedy Jr. complies with ethics rules, while ethics experts call for full transparency about donor gifts and potential conflicts of interest.
RFK Jr. Took $4M in Book Advances From Maha Allies — Disclosures Also Show Lavish Gifts and Housing
Robert F Kennedy Jr in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington DC on 18 September.Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
A new report says Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received $4 million in book advances over the past year from allies tied to the Make America Healthy Again (Maha) movement. The advances were issued for forthcoming titles by Skyhorse Publishing, owned by Tony Lyons, a long-time friend of Kennedy Jr. and president of the Maha Center, a non-profit that says it is "tackling America's health crisis through education, investigation, innovation and action."
Details Of The Advances And Disclosures
The payments were first reported by The New York Times. In a 2024 ethics filing, Kennedy Jr. pledged:
"I will not engage in writing, editing, marketing or promotional services for any of these books during government service."Kennedy Jr. has previously published books with Skyhorse, including The Real Anthony Fauci and The Wuhan Cover-Up.
Gifts, Housing and Travel
Financial disclosure forms filed in 2026 and reviewed by The Guardian show additional benefits from Gavin de Becker, a security consultant and Kennedy Jr. ally. The disclosures state Kennedy Jr. accepted housing in Washington, D.C., valued at $126,500 at a "vacation home" owned by de Becker.
The filings and reporting also list expensive travel provided by de Becker: nearly $45,000 in round-trip airfare to Greece and roughly $97,000 for round-trip travel to Fiji, where The Wall Street Journal reports de Becker owns a compound.
In 2024 de Becker donated at least $10 million to Kennedy Jr.'s super PAC; Politico reports that $9.65 million was later returned. De Becker is also the author of a Skyhorse book titled Forbidden Facts: Government Deceit and Suppression About Brain Damage From Childhood Vaccines.
Family Connections And Other Payments
Disclosures show Kennedy Jr.'s wife, actress Cheryl Hines, received $210,000 in consulting fees from Maha Action, an advocacy group led by Tony Lyons.
Responses And Ethics Concerns
An HHS spokesperson told The New York Times that Kennedy Jr. "complies with all applicable federal ethics laws, regulations and financial disclosure requirements." The spokesperson added: "The secretary works with HHS career ethics officials to ensure that his financial interests, gifts, outside activities and other reportable matters are appropriately disclosed and handled consistent with those requirements."
De Becker told the newspaper:
"Bobby is among my closest friends in the world for many years, and I'm grateful to be able to host him anytime … He has hosted my family at his homes, he's stayed at my homes, we take family vacations together every year, and did so for years before he was in his current job."
Kedric Payne, senior ethics counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, told The New York Times:
"Lavish gifts to an official from major political donors don't get the same benefit of the doubt as dinner from a former classmate … The public deserves full transparency about the nature of these gifts and any interests the donor has before the government."
The Guardian has reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services, Gavin de Becker and Tony Lyons for further comment.
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