During a White House event in May 2026, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described declining sperm counts and fertility rates as an "existential crisis." He has consistently highlighted what he terms a growing fertility crisis in the United States since assuming office in 2025. Kennedy has argued that these declining rates are indicators of deteriorating public health, making this issue a cornerstone of his "Make America Healthy Again" platform.
Recently, a claim has circulated on social media suggesting that Kennedy asserted infertility is hereditary, implying that individuals whose parents were infertile would also be infertile.
The Claim: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated, "Infertility is genetic."
In mid-July 2026, a widely shared TikTok video purported that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated, "Infertility is genetic. If your parents can’t have kids, neither can you." The clip presented this as a direct quote from Kennedy, while also criticizing his recent remarks on fertility and reproductive health.
The video’s creator appeared to mock Kennedy, alluding to past controversies and alleging this statement was made during his campaign to draw attention to the perceived fertility crisis in the U.S. The video concluded by asserting the quote’s authenticity and deriding Kennedy’s focus on male fertility and declining sperm counts, prompting many viewers to question the veracity of his alleged statement.
Fact Check: The claim that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, "infertility is genetic" is false.
There is no evidence to support the assertion that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ever made the statement, "Infertility is genetic. If your parents can’t have kids, neither can you." The quote was circulating online years before Kennedy became health secretary in 2025, indicating that social media users have falsely attributed it to him.
No verifiable video, interview, speech, or credible news report features Kennedy making this remark. Instead, archived online posts reveal the quote was already in circulation prior to its association with him. One of the earliest instances found was an August 14, 2022, post on X stating, "Infertility is genetic; if your parents couldn’t have kids, you also won’t." Other users, including an account identifying as parody, reposted the joke shortly thereafter.
The statement’s origins predate current social media trends. A similar iteration appears in Donald E. Simanek’s 2002 humor book, ‘Science Askew: A Lighthearted Look at the Scientific World.’ An even earlier version can be found in Dan Miller and Jeanne Zornes’ 1997 humor collection, ‘Living, Laughing, and Loving Life.’
While Kennedy did not originate the viral statement, he has consistently voiced concerns regarding declining fertility rates. His acknowledgement of falling sperm counts and fertility rates as an "existential crisis" occurred at a White House event in May 2026.