RFK Jr. Super Bowl Ad Ignites Plagiarism Accusations

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing plagiarism accusations online after a PAC supporting his campaign ran an ad during Super Bowl 58 on Sunday that critics say directly mirrored former President John F. Kennedy's 1960 ad.

RFK Jr., the son of former Senator Bobby Kennedy and nephew of the former president, is an attorney who rose to prominence in recent years after being a vocal vaccine critic and frequently promoting the debunked claims that they can cause autism in young children. He was initially seeking the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination before switching to independent.

American Values 2024, a super PAC backing Kennedy Jr., ran the 30-second commercial that played on JFK's 1960 presidential campaign ad, using the same slogans and imagery as the original. Critics of the Super Bowl 58 ad said that the clip merely swaps iconic photos of his uncle with images of RFK Jr.

In response to Newsweek's request for an interview or comment, Kennedy Jr.'s press secretary, Stefanie Spear, sent the following statement: "We are pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values PAC for running an ad during the Super Bowl where more than 100 million Americans got to see that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is running as an independent candidate for President of the United States. Mr. Kennedy already tops the list as the most favorable candidate running for president."

Newsweek reached out via email on Sunday night to representatives of the JFK Foundation for comment.

In addition to airing during the Super Bowl, Kennedy Jr. also shared the ad on his X account.

"Our momentum is growing," RFK Jr. wrote. "It's time for an Independent President to heal the divide in our country."

However, after the ad sparked mounting backlash and scrutiny on X, formerly Twitter, where people accused RFK Jr. of plagiarism and impersonating his late uncle, the independent presidential candidate apologized for the clip late Sunday night.

"I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain," Kennedy Jr. wrote on X. "The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."

The Super Bowl ad cost the super PAC about $7 million, according to The New York Times.

American Values 2024 co-founder Tony Lyons told Newsweek in a phone interview on Monday that the controversial Super Bowl spot gave RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign exposure to a massive audience.

"Americans are hoping for the kind of leadership that Bobby's uncle and his father represented," Lyons said. "And I believe that his father and his uncle would have been incredibly proud of him. For his bravery and his courage in fighting corruption."

Lyons said the ad was effective because it caused a spike in the number of people "googling" Kennedy Jr. during the Super Bowl and his name was trending on social media on Sunday night.

"Because of all the censorship, the hit pieces, the vilification, the lies that have been told about him," Lyons said. "It's hard for the American public to have a good sense of who he is, so we thought that this was a good first step in allowing 100 million people to know that he's running for president."

He said the spot "worked incredibly well."

"For many hours during [and] after the Super Bowl, he was trending on social media, at a level that no other candidate has for months," Lyons said.

He said the social media exposure, even all the criticism, allowed people who didn't watch the Super Bowl to see the ad.

"Every one of those people learned the important information that he's running, that he's an alternative," Lyons said. "What a bunch of political sites pointed to was that the interest in Bobby Kennedy was off the charts during the Super Bowl, that literally millions of people were googling him."

Huff Post editor Philip Lewis shared a roughly 30-second video on X and said: "If you're wondering about the inspiration behind that Robert F. Kennedy Super Bowl ad."

Democrat Robert Shrum, the director of the USC Center for the Political Future, blasted RFK Jr. in a post on X that accused the presidential candidate's ad of being "straight out plagiarism."

"This RFK Jr. Super Bowl ad is a straight out plagiarism of JFK ad from 1960." Shrum wrote on X. "What a fraud- and to quote Lloyd Bentsen with a slight amendment, 'Bobby, you're no John Kennedy.' Instead you are a Trump ally."

Legal analyst Laurence Tribe responded to Shrum's X post, agreeing with the accusation and calling RFK. Jr. a "shameless plagiarist."

"Robert Shrum is right," Tribe wrote. "RFK Jr. is a shameless plagiarist, a fraud, and the enabler of a tyrant. His father RFK and his uncle JFK would be grief-stricken to see what he has become."

Activist Charlotte Clymer referred to RFK Jr. as a "hall-of-fame charlatan" in response to his Super Bowl ad.

"Just a reminder: the Kennedy family is not supporting Robert Kennedy, Jr.," Clymer wrote on X. "To watch this mediocre excuse for a leader co-opt President Kennedy's iconic campaign ad is predictably craven. This is what RFK, Jr. does. He's a hall-of-fame charlatan."

Actress Ellen Barkin wrote on X: "Why is Robert Kennedy impersonating his deceased uncle?"

Former U.S. Senator and Democrat Doug Jones of Alabama took a swipe a RFK Jr.'s family legacy.

"How pathetic," Jones posted on X. "A super donor who supports Trump donates to a Super Pac that runs a commercial during the #SuperBowl to remind voters of the man RFK, Jr will never, ever be."

Despite the wave of criticism, some people voiced support for RFK Jr. and expressed excitement over seeing an ad backing him during the Super Bowl.

Chris Nelson shared a video of the ad playing on a TV, writing: "Commercial for Robert F Kennedy Jr during #SuperBowl. You've got our votes Bobby."

Update 2/12/24, 9:05 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and comment from Lyons.