Tig Notaro Reveals Heartbreak Over Friendship Split with Cheryl Hines
In a candid discussion on the MS NOW podcast "The Best People," comedian Tig Notaro opened up about the emotional fallout from her severed friendship with longtime pal and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" alum Cheryl Hines. Notaro, known for her role in "One Mississippi," attributed the rift primarily to Hines' husband, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Hines' apparent embrace of MAGA ideologies.
The Political Divide That Drove Them Apart
Notaro expressed that she had to confront the reality of the situation, stating, "I had to kind of shake myself out of denial that, 'Oh, she's gone,' and, 'Oh, OK, I need to let this go. I need to let it go.'" She described her initial attempts to maintain the friendship despite Hines' political leanings, but ultimately, the divide proved too great. "I was trying to be a friend to her [despite her MAGA ties]. ...But it's been very strange, and I think I've moved past the confusion and sadness," Notaro shared.
When host Nicolle Wallace pointed out that Kennedy and Hines' values could threaten loved ones, Notaro responded emphatically, "I know it threatens people I love." She elaborated, "It goes beyond, 'I think it could.' I know it does." Notaro reflected on the confusion she felt, noting, "When you see people's choices that are so confusing, and flipping so wildly on topics that you thought they valued, and then you realize ... 'Was there really any heel dug in on any area? In any area?'"
From Silly Podcasts to Serious Strains
The friendship, which predated Hines' marriage to Kennedy in 2014, was once celebrated through their collaborative podcast "Tig & Cheryl: True Story," running from 2020 to 2023. The show featured lighthearted, absurd conversations about documentaries, but Notaro recalled a recent video that highlighted how quickly things changed. "Cheryl and I were very drawn to each other just with nonsense and silliness, and we would have the deepest, hardest laughs. And this video popped up a couple of weeks ago of when we had our podcast. We were doing a streaming episode and doing shots and slapping each other in the face with tortillas. And I was just looking at it going, 'Man, that was just three years ago.'"
Tensions began to escalate in 2023 as rumors swirled about Kennedy's potential presidential run. Notaro, who does not share Kennedy's views, faced heckling from fans at her stand-up shows due to her association with him. "I know it's a small percentage that pushes back online or yells out at shows, but I was like, 'Man, this is not my world. I don't do this. I don't want to be a part of this.' And she was like, 'I understand,'" Notaro explained.
The Final Break and Public Grieving
Notaro made the difficult decision to quit the podcast in May 2023, just a month after Kennedy launched his 2024 presidential campaign. "I think that I needed to stop doing the podcast, because it was so ridiculous, it was so stupid — our show — that it was hard to be doing that when he was gaining momentum and speaking," she said. "I had to step away, but I loved her so much."
This is not the first time Notaro has publicly mourned the loss of this friendship. In a previous appearance on the "Breaking Bread With Tom Papa" podcast, she stressed that her bond with Hines existed before Kennedy entered the picture. "Beliefs he had were like a gnat on my arm," Notaro said of Kennedy. "But then it started to grow, and Cheryl wanted me to hear Bobby out. They had these good ideas, and I was like, 'I can't, I can't, I can't.' I just didn't trust it. And then he endorsed Trump, and then it just got hard."
Hines' Perspective and One-Sided Efforts
Hines has also addressed the friendship's end, telling Howie Mandel on his podcast that she felt powerless to salvage it. "When it was feeling a lot for her, there wasn't much I could do about it other than leave my husband," Hines said. While she expressed grief over the split and resisted Mandel's attempts to badmouth Notaro, Hines did imply she played a role in Notaro's career success.
Despite the breakup, Notaro revealed she tried to maintain contact, sending Hines "love and support." Hines would respond "very pleasantly," but Notaro eventually noticed the interactions had become one-sided. "I realized one day that she doesn't ever reach out to me anymore. She responds to me, but she doesn't reach out to me," Notaro lamented, highlighting the lingering pain of a friendship lost to political divides.
