RFK Jr's Wife Cheryl Hines Describes 'Crazy' Evacuation Amid WHCD Shooting
Cheryl Hines was lifted over chairs in heels and gown as shots rang out at the WHCD, exposing how even glamorous press galas have become targets in a security state that still can't stop a California teacher from boarding trains with a shotgun.
Cheryl Hines lived the nightmare Saturday night that security briefings warn about but never quite prevent. At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the actress and wife of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heard shots, dove under tables with the rest of the room, then found herself hoisted by her husband’s detail over chairs while wearing a gown and heels so they could hustle through back corridors to safety.
The scene unfolded just after the event, billed as a celebration of the First Amendment, had begun. A 31-year-old California man recently named “teacher of the year” was arrested. He had traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago to Washington, checked into the very hotel hosting the dinner, and carried a shotgun, handgun and knives. Authorities say he was targeting President Trump and his administration. One Secret Service agent was shot; his ballistic vest saved him and he was sent home that evening. No one else was injured.
Trump, Vance, Melania Trump, Karoline Leavitt and other officials were rushed out. The president later posted on Truth Social that Secret Service and law enforcement “acted quickly and bravely,” adding he had recommended they “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but would defer to them. The dinner was canceled. Trump said it would be rescheduled within 30 days.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Meet the Press the suspect had arrived in D.C. only in the last day or two. The ease with which he moved across the country armed should alarm anyone who still believes political violence is random rather than enabled by porous travel, soft targets and a culture that treats the president and his cabinet as legitimate marks.
Hines posted twice on Instagram the next day. First she called it “a crazy, um, moment in time,” recounting how Kennedy’s security “surrounded us and took us.” Hours later, in pajamas and watching the news like everyone else, she thanked followers for checking on them: “we are okay.” The contrast between her red-carpet evacuation and the ordinariness of her follow-up post captures the new normal: even celebrity spouses of Cabinet secretaries now treat active-shooter drills as dinner conversation.
The real question the incident leaves hanging is how many more “crazy moments” it will take before Washington admits that celebrating the press while inviting the entire executive branch to one ballroom is less journalism than a magnet for the next teacher of the year with a grudge and a rail pass.
Original reporting: Us Weekly.
More in California
- UC Berkeley Lab Proposes New Civic Framework for California’s Next Governor
A research-driven agenda calls for institutionalizing 'co-governance' to address low public trust and lack of resident influence in state decision-making.
- Five Tax Measures on California’s Ballot Aim to Reshape State Finances
Propositions 3, 40–43 would alter income, wealth and local taxation rules—marking the highest number of tax measures on a general election ballot since 1994.
- Catalina Helicopter Crash Highlights Risks of Island Medevac Flights
A medical evacuation chopper carrying Catalina Romero, pilot, and nurse Jessica Devries crashed into the ocean shortly after takeoff, killing all three; federal investigators are assessing causes including night flying, spatial disorientation, and the island’s challenging Pebbly Beach heliport.